


Misplaced

by BNZG



Category: No Fandom, Original Work
Genre: Action, Aliens, Fights, Giants, Macro/Micro, Mistaken Identity, Multi, Science Fiction, Size Difference, Thriller, giant tiny - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-10
Updated: 2018-10-19
Packaged: 2018-12-26 01:37:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 19
Words: 101,939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12048621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BNZG/pseuds/BNZG
Summary: Jonah is your average college student, dealing with a few personal issues at home. However, one day after class, things go from normal to terrifying when an enormous giant peeks in from the window, with his sights set solely on him. After a shocking turn of events, he soon finds out that he is smack dab in the middle of an alien manhunt, with one side trying to protect him while the others trying to seize him, thanks to a mistaken identity no one seems to really see as a mistake. His normal life comes to a halt as he has to deal with all the craziness of it all and find out what is going on and why.This story is PG-13.





	1. Chapter 1 Part 1: Normalcy

  
Jonah Michaels  _really_ hated Economics. Almost as much as he hated Statistics.   
  
But alas, both were requirements for his major, and therefore, unavoidable. He began to wish he had taken the AP courses while he was in high school instead of learning them in a broad classroom where the monotonous voice of Dr. Weiss began to seem more like a dull, rythmless lullaby than an actual lecture. The properties of Supply and Demand were a concept everyone with a working brain and who went through high school already grasped long ago; the redundancy of it all served more of an annoyance than anything else. He thought he was done with math when he took Calculus in the twelfth grade. But apparently, Math wasn't done with him, as the curriculum seemed to have deduced.   
  
Fortunately, he had a couple minutes until he could finally break away from his studies, meet with his girlfriend, and spend his weekend sleeping. It had been a long semester, and he was already feeling more drained than ever before his junior year. With so much going on, as well as balancing the stress of balancing work, school, and relationships; he was feeling pretty burnt out. Not enough to drop out, but enough for him to wonder if he had made the right decision to come back for the semester. It was as though he was wearing a bag of bricks on each shoulder that got heavier and heavier.   
  
A thin, mirthless smile spread on his face as he stared at the diagrams on the sheet in front of him. Why did they wait to tell him now? Under  _those_  circumstances? Why couldn't they have told him earlier? When he was a child? Or at least during or before his time in high school? Why hide it from him when he was already nineteen years old? A seed of anger began to well in him, as memories of what happened a month ago resurfaced into his mind.   
  
Dr. Weiss's voice pulled him from his bitter thoughts. "Alright class. Remember you have to turn in pages 120 and 121 from your workbooks next week. And don't forgot that some of you in my Business Ethics class have to bring your research findings here by Monday next week. Have a good weekend."   
  
The students around him began to stand up and push in their chairs and meet up with their friends around the entrance of the classroom. Jonah stood up and roughly dropped his papers into the open page of his textbook before tucking it under his arm. Looking at the time, realizing it was 11:52, a couple minutes passed the end of the class, he walked outside the classroom to the direction of exit.   
  
"Free now?"    
  
Jonah turned around at the sudden voice which he assumed was addressed to him and smiled. Even in a ocean of people, he could recognize her form from the crowd.    
  
Rachel Grant was a girl he knew from high school. One of the few familiar faces in a school so large and far away from home. When he was in his freshman year of high school, he had such a huge crush on her, he was afraid she'd find out. It was until his senior year in high school he got the courage to talk to her. And was pleased that she enjoyed his company, even if it wasn't in a romantic way. Now, especially since he had a girlfriend, they were merely friends. She was still cute, with long blonde hair that reached passed her shoulder blades, deep blue eyes, and black T-shirt with a yellow miniskirt and leather boots. But he was more than happy to stay with Diana and would never jeopardize his relationship with her for an old high school crush.   
  
The girl caught up to the Jonah, her purse slipping a bit form her shoulder as she maneuvered through the crowd to get to him. "Want to grab a bite to eat? Didn't have anything but Chinese yesterday."   
  
"Sure," Jonah answered, smiling a bit,"How was the Biology exam?"   
  
"I blanked out when I got to the part about the mitochondria. All this time I spent studying last night and I forgot just like that. It's like my brain decided to just, say 'Hey, remember all that studying you did? Yeah...let's wait until  _after_ the exam for you to remember.' Seriously, like, what the hell?"   
  
Jonah let out a small chuckle. Rachel joined him. "But really though, screw cell biology!"   
  
"Don't worry," he said as the two rounded a corner. "I was kind of spacing out for most of Econ too. I don't remember half the stuff he said. But hey, that's Dr. Weiss for you."   
  
"Everyone says he is kind of boring. But luckily for me,  _I don't have to take hiiiiiim!"_ She sung, smiling broadly at Jonah.   
  
"Well, screw you princess!" He laughed, feeling a bit more spirited. Rachel was always good at keeping him from his thoughts, whether she knew it or not. "You Bio majors still have to deal with Dr. Caronne don't you? I've heard he's like Difficultly incarnate."   
  
Rachel pretended to shiver. "I've heard too. I have to take him next semester for Molecular Biology. Made half the class change their majors last year. I'm trying to keep my scholarship! He'd be the one to go out of his way to make sure I fail."   
  
"Some students actually did go to him and say he was too hard; he told them that the class was to weed out those who were ready and those who weren't."   
  
Rachel's eyes widened as they turned to the corner near the steps. "Are you serious?"   
  
"Dead serious." Jonah replied, running a hand through his dark brown hair. "I think they went to the dean about it. But I don't know what the dean did. If he did anything at all anyway."   
  
Both of them stopped as a generic ringtone sounded from Jonah's jacket pocket. "Hold on one moment."   
  
Jonah pulled out his phone and brought it to his face.    
  
His heart dropped as he saw the caller ID on his phone.   
  
**DAD  
  
** Jonah's mouth formed a formidable frown as he stared at the glowing white numbers on the screen. Just when he was beginning to forget the whole ordeal, it all came back to him all at once. Everything that happened last month. Everything he had been trying to cope with since the beginning of the semester. Everything that happened when he came back home last night at ten o'clock. The very things he tried to suppress just a few minutes ago in his class. His hand squeezed the device tightly as he clenched his teeth. Why would he call when he knew he didn't want to speak to him? As if he wouldn't get the hint. Or rather, that he did but didn't care.   
  
The phone seemed indifferent to his rising dread at the ringing persisted. Rachel looked at Jonah, her eyes full of worry as he glared at the name and digits on the phone. She looked at his screen, and with understanding, didn't speak until the ringing had finally stopped several seconds later.   
  
"Jonah," she began to say but he cut her off.   
  
"Don't worry about it." He said abruptly. "I'm fine. Really."   
  
His voice betrayed his words. They came out strained and forced. Rachel just placed her hand on his and slowly lowered the phone from his sight. "Y'know, you really should talk to someone about this. Like the school therapist."   
  
"Don't want to," he said curtly, readjusting the textbook under his arm. His eyes seemed to darken. "Don't need to."   
  
"Still," She said tugging on his arm to walk down the stairs. "You should answer his calls. At least once. It's been almost three weeks! And you really can't ignore him for long."   
  
"I know that!"   
  
Jonah's eyes widened at the volume that came out of his mouth and the shocked expression on Rachel's face. A few students who were talking looked in their direction, faces scrunched in various expression confusion, curiosity, or annoyance at the sudden outburst. Guilt instantaneously swelled up in him as he sighed. "I know...it's just that...I can't. At least, not now. Not by phone."   
  
Rachel just looked at him, her eyes somewhat wet. She let out a weak, small smile.    
  
"I know...it's just...I don't like seeing you hurt."   
  
Jonah didn't reply. He just stared at the green linoleum floor of the hallway. Chatter around him resurfaced. The feeling of being pitied wasn't nice. While he was sure that she meant well, he just didn't want to talk about anything regarding that awful day. Too many emotions, bottled up from that incident. He just couldn't really express them. At least, he wish he knew how to deal with them. With such a revelation of a great magnitude. How could anyone react to it?   
  
Rachel just looked at him, putting a hand on his should. "Jonah..."   
  
He glanced at her with miserable eyes.   
  
However, before she could say anything to comfort him, the ground began to shake.   
  
The students within the hallway and around the building began to scream as the the whole building seem to rock on it's foundation.    
  
Rachel screamed as she struggled to stay on her feet. Unfortunately, her attempts proved futile as she began to tip forward.   
  
"Rachel!" Jonah screamed as he instantly stuck an arm out and caught her by her right arm. That action was enough for him to lose his balance as both of them came crashing on the ground. Jonah hissed as his shoulder collided with the floor.  _"Ah! Crap!"  
  
_ Other students within the same hallway seemed were either on the ground, having also fell victim to the turbulence around them, or clinging to something or someone. The floor began to crack as the whole building continued to violently shake. Rachel was screaming from beside him, holding her head between her arms as she scrunched her eyes shut. Jonah himself was beginning to panic as he feared that the very floor under him would give way.   
  
Suddenly, a bright blue light came through the window; brighter than the very sun. Jonah was forced to shut his eyes as the blue light blinded several students and teachers, the panicked cries growing louder to a deafening tone. It was as if a discolored supernova had materialized right next to their building.   
  
And just as quickly as it came, it dissipated, along with the earthquake. The ground stilled, with no warning as everyone was jolted at the sudden stop. Silence suddenly overcame the building for a moment as no one moved for a moment, as if expecting an aftershock to come within moments. When nothing happened for about ten seconds, someone in the hallway tentatively stood up to their feet. After a few seconds, a few others began to also take the chance to stand up.  
  
Jonah looked down at Rachel, who still looked terrified. He himself wasn't recovering just yet from the sudden event.   
  
It was about a few seconds later when Rachel began to lean up. "What...what the hell was that?"   
  
"I don't know." Jacob responded quietly. His heart was beating so loudly, he could swear he could hear it. "I...I th-think that was an earthquake but...the hell was that light?"   
  
  
The hallway began to fill up with concerned and frightened voices. A variety of "Holy crap!" and "The hell was that!" filled the building. Along with a few swears and weeping from other directions as well.   
  
"Oh my god!" A shrill feminine voice sounded.  
  
"What was that light!?" A much deeper voice sounded from the hall behind them.   
  
"I didn't know this place got earthquakes!" A young male's voice yelled, sounding on the verge of tears.  
  
"Did everyone see that light!?" A woman's voice asked, clearly panicked.  
  
"Everyone calm down!" A professor's voice sounded from one of the classrooms.   
  
"What happened outside!?"   
  
"Was it a  _bomb_!?"   
  
Loud footsteps came from the southern hall as a tall, gruff man dressed in all black swung open the doors. His voice, baritone and clear, cut through all the racket. "Is everyone alright?"   
  
Jonah, who was close to the man was able to speak, helping Rachel to her feet. "U-um...Yeah, I'm fine. You, Rachel?"   
  
"Y-yeah. just scared is all."   
  
The man didn't say anything. All he did was survey the students around. None of them really looked injured. Scared, confused but not harmed. "Alright everyone, listen up."   
  
All voices went silent as the man spoke. "We all need to file out of the emergency staircase on in the east hall and head towards Schwartz Hall, understood? There we will..."   
  
_Thoom...Thoom...  
  
_ The man never finished speaking as the floor, once again began to shake.   
  
Everyone seized up and looked around as faint tremors began to shake the building once again. Whimpers and gasps were heard from every direction.   
  
Jonah backed against the wall as the ground began to shake once more, his legs visibly trembling from the sudden series of events that were happening. However, unlike before, the tremor stopped as quickly as it came...before coming back again. And again. And again.   
  
The tremors kept stopping to only come back, stronger than the last. Almost  _rythmically,_ it seemed _._ It was almost as if the quaking was getting, actually  _moving_ , closer _._ As if that were possible. They began to shake him to his very core and he once again found it hard to retain his equilibrium.   
  
A shadow overcame the entire building with one last tremor, with enough intensity to shake several students off their feet.   
  
Jonah could hardly move.  _Something_ happening outside.    
  
Screaming erupted form outside as he could hear the pitter-patter of several feet running in several directions outside. From the sixth floor, they were quite audible and horrifying.   
  
Jonah managed to barely get hits wits as he looked down at Rachel, who looked like she was crying. He whispered to her, in a very unconvincing voice, "Don't worry. Everything is going to be fine."   
  
"What...what's going on?" She whispered back to him.   
  
_"Oh my god!"_  Someone screamed. Everyone turned to the direction of the scream.   
  
Jonah immediately regretted his decision.   
  
Outside, in the direction of the student who screamed, was an enormous, golden eye peering through a few windows smaller than it.   
  
Jonah's mouth went slack jawed as the eye seemed to lock onto him almost immediately. The pupil settled on his paralyzed form; he could see his reflection on the black circle.   
  
The bottom eyelid lifted, as if smiling.   
  
Then, a loud, resonating voice that shook the entire established bellowed all around the building.   
  
"I've  _foooooound_  you... _Arum_." 


	2. Chapter 1 Part 2: Terror

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: this chapter has implied death.

It was as if time slowed down to a crawl. No words could describe the sheer amount of fear that was emitting from the nineteen-year-old boy. No amount of roller coasters or horror movies put together could even slightly amount to a fraction of the fear he was feeling at that very moment. Seeing his terrified facial features reflecting from the golden orb in front of him was more than enough to frighten him beyond speech. He was looking at a part of a...someone. A someone so huge that he...or  _it..._ was able to shake the seven floor building by his mere presence. So unfathomably big that it's mere eye was able to take of the view of a couple windows.   
  
And worst of all, it was trained on no one else, but  _him._  
  
Jonah's mouth lay agape as the enormous eyeball stayed on him for the briefest of moment's before rising above, for only the view of a mischievous, victorious grin wider than he could reach to replace it.    
  
" _Found you, found you, found you, fooooooound yooooooooooou..."_ The giant's sung, his voice loud and overpowering.   
  
Soon, that grin too disappeared from sight for a couple of seconds.   
  
Only for an ginormous hand, to plow through the windows and walls of hallway he was in.   
  
It was as though everyone came back to life as the hallway was filled with cacophonous shrieks and screams as everyone began to run and scatter away from the huge limb as possible, some even pushing others out of their way in a desperate attempt to escape. A few students were mowed onto the ground by the hand that was far too large for the hallway. Fingers, some easily longer than he was tall, brushed against the adjacent windows, shattering them without effort. The giant knuckles rapped violently against some of the doors in the way, even knocking down a student behind one as the hand began it's advance towards the petrified sophomore.  
  
Worst of all, it was coming for him  _fast._  
  
Jonah's body finally seemed to function once again as he swiftly grabbed the frozen Rachel's hand and, with a bit of effort, sprinted down the stairs. "C'mon! We have to  _move!"_  
  
Booming laughter erupted from the opposite direction, drowning out the terrified screams of the students and teachers. He was nearly deafened by its sheer volume and suddenness.   
  
"So...that's how it's going to be, huh Arum?" The giant's voice rumbled with amusement.   
  
When Jonah looked back up the stairs, he watched as the hand come down on a few students that were right behind them by a foot. The impact of the hand slamming down onto the ground shook the building, causing Jonah to grab the railing, lest he tumble down the staircase.   
  
Jonah looked at Rachel, who eyes were streaming as she watched the enormous hand drag back the screaming, crying students like an enormous rake in the direction they came, sheer horror encompassed her normally soft features. "To the basement! Hurry!"   
  
Rachel nodded as she let go of his hand and hurried down the stairs alongside him just as they heard the giant's say, "Aww...come on, where are you going?"   
  
A dark, chuckle sounded from the giant, sounding more like thunder. Jonah, heart and legs pumping with adrenaline, tried to go through the nearly impenetrable crowd of screaming, panicked students and teachers, with Rachel right behind him. It was as if sifting through a sea of sand, as everyone pushed and pulled to get to the staircase doors, their closest route of escape. He cried out as he was butted into a locker, jarring the same shoulder he had landed on during the earthquake.    
  
Suddenly, just as they neared the third staircase door, the building jolted violently. Both Jonah and Rachel fell to the ground, bouncing off the ground on impact. Rachel clenched her head, which was bleeding a bit on the side, as Jonah slowly rose his head up. Just as they got to their hands and knees, the building jolted again, and the sound of creaking intensified. Suddenly, debris and asbestos began to rain down from above, creating a thick haze of dust.   
  
Thinking quickly, Jonah moved closer to the wall just as a chunk of bricks fell on the spot he once was. He looked back up, no longer able to see his blonde friend, who had seemed to disappeared in the chaotic crowd.   
  
Suddenly, after one more violent jolt, which caused him to lurch forward from his spot, as the sound of metal and brick being pulled apart split the air.   
  
Light flooded in from above, and Jonah, as well as everyone in the crowd looked up to see where there was once a roof was a bright blue sky.   
  
Which was soon obstructed by the head and upper body of the giant, who was looking down at the gathering of people desperately trying to get through the third floor door.   
  
The giant's eyes flashed, as he a smirk appeared. "So, you're in this bunch of pipsqueaks I see..." He said patronizingly as the he did something to his left, outside of Jonah's peripheral vision. After a split second, something that sounded akin to a building collapsing on itself resonated from below. The giant lifted his left hand and seemed to reach down once again, his hand descending down the space between the stairs, which caused the hand to accidentally bend and knock down some of the metal railings towards the crowd below.   
  
Jonah backed into a corner between a fire extinguisher and a locker as many people began pouring through the door. While some made it out, some weren't so lucky.   
  
The giant's hand, which had much more area than his single-person dorm room, trapped several people in a crude crane before his fingers began to close. Only a couple people managed to get through the fingers and the hand closed around a group of terrified students and teachers, some whom he even recognized from his class. He watched as the hand began to ascend back up. He could see someone whose hand was caught between the crook of the finger and another student's body, causing the poor girl to dangle between the giant's fingers and scream as the hand lifted out of the building and into the air, to the giant's face.   
  
Jonah trembled and covered his mouth to muffle a scream as he watched his colleagues be taken away so easily as if they were nothing but chips in a bag. The fact that he was so close to being in that crowd caused him to nearly collapse from fear. However, he looked back down to see that the doors, that were barely visible from the thick crowd, was now fully in sight. He immediately took that opportunity, while the giant was distracted to go through the third floor doors, that were now considerably more accessible.   
  
Now, outside of the giant's line of sight, with another roof above him, he ran across the hall to the other end to go through the southern exit. He heard a grating sound high above him, the giant's voice coming from above.   
  
"Dammit! You're not among  _any_ of these humans!"   
  
Suddenly, the screaming intensified from the humans above before he heard a rattle of thumps hit the ceiling above, the screaming almost instantly going quiet. Jonah's eyes widened.   
  
Did...did he just... _drop them?_  
  
 Jonah didn't get the chance to dwell on his realization as the moment he looked back at the southern exit, the very ceiling above seemed to have exploded in front of him.    
  
He stopped running as the floor rattled under him for half a second, barely having time to shield his eyes from the waft of dust clouds going his direction. He managed to peek beyond his raised arm to see a large, gaping hole in the ceiling a few feet away from him; a destroyed desk lay in the spot, toppled on it's side with papers flown in every direction. He heard creaking and movement above, and soon, the giant's hand came down, more slowly and tactical but no less dangerous.   
  
"Seriously, this is getting kind of really old really fast, Arum." The giant's voice said from above, sounding more irritable and menacing than before as the hand began to make its way down the hallway towards the southern gate, with Jonah's trembling body only several feet from the wrist thicker than a small door frame.   
  
Jonah took two, shaky steps back. Had he been slightly faster and kept going, he would have been done for, he realized. He trembled as he saw the hand grasp against the doors, pushing them open with a finger before retreating.   
  
Jonah's eyes widened as he realized the giant would check the other direction. Without thinking, he dipped into one of the classrooms just as the enormous hand began to turn, as though about to retrace it's steps.   
  
His eyes instantly fell on the professor's redwood desk on the far corner of the classroom. Some of the desks around him had fallen from the previous earthquakes, which served as obstacles on his way to the teacher's wide desk, which looked more than capable of providing some cover, as well as serving as a convenient hiding spot. He hopped over one fallen desk just as he heard a hushed voice the sound of something huge impacting the other side of the building.   
  
The moment he managed to get under the desk, he curled up into the tightest ball he could manage, clasping his hands over his ears.   
  
_What the hell was happening?_  
  
Literally only a couple minutes ago, if that, he went from talking with his former crush to running for his life. How could so much happen in so little time?   
  
That...thing...whatever it was...it was looking right at him. There was no mistake, that the moment he made eye-contact with his two, terrified, brown eyes with that humongous, golden one, it was as though it had spotted the clearest diamond to have ever existed. It was after him, there was no mistaking it.   
  
For some reason, that thing was after  _him._  
  
That thought nearly caused him to send him into a panic attack, heart hammering in his ears.   
  
_Why?_    
  
What had he done to deserve anything like  _this?_  To have this giant tear through the classrooms and endanger all who inhabited the building just to get to him? To have witnessed some of his fellow colleagues, students around his age literally taken away with the smallest effort? Just to get to him? Disregarding all life within the trapped space of the building? Oh god, did some of the students above die because of him? Because he was there?    
  
What the hell was an  _Arum?_ Was he calling him that? Why was he calling him that? Who the hell was this giant?   
  
What was he going to do to him if he were to get a hold to him? The building hadn't collapsed yet, so was he purposely trying to  _not_  kill him? No...that thing was toying with him. Him and the lives of everyone there. It probably would kill him. In ways only a giant knew how.   
  
His mind became a muddled mess and he found himself about to go into hysterics just as he heard a voice cry out, "Jonah!"   
  
He peeked out from the side of the desk and looked to his left, in the direction of the cry. His eyes widened to see an absolutely terrified, yet unharmed Rachel, halfway hidden within the closet. From his position, he could see her shaking, holding the door as if it were her only lifeline. Next to her, was the man whom had came up the stairs. His face looked grave as he summoned his over with a gesture.   
  
The ground shook once more as Jonah stumbled towards the pair. He caught the door ridge just as another vibration nearly made him lose balance. "Wh-what are you guys  _still_ doing  _here!?_   We have to get out!"   
  
"We can't," The man replied hurriedly, his voice a harsh whisper, "Something is blocking all the exits. Everyone is stuck downstairs."    
  
Jonah spat out a series of swears under his breath before glancing at Rachel.   
  
The girl looked as him as though he had just sprouted horns, her mouth moving as if she was trying to say something.   
  
"Rachel...we'll b-"   
  
"He was looking at you." She whispered, her voice hoarse and trembling. "He was looking only at  _you."_  
  
Jonah's heart lodged itself into his throat. His mouth was moving, but no words came out. So, she had noticed it too.   
  
She took a step back away from him, than another. It occurred to him that she was preparing herself to make a run for it, away from him. "Do you know that monster? It...it called you... _Arum._  Who  _are_  you? You're...you're Jonah... _right?"_    
  
"You're wrong! I don't know who...or what that thing is outside! I don't even know what who or what an Arum is!"   
  
"Both of you, settle down! We need to get to the first floor and..." The man never finished his sentence as the ground shook once more.  
  
A loud crash interrupted as the alarms in the building blared loudly, louder than the screams coming from the floors below. A swirl of dust blew through the door he had just entered as the sound of the structure tearing away filled their ears.   
  
"Seriously, Arum, come out  _now."_ The literal, forcefulness of that command caused the building to shake once more. _"_ I don't have time for you to keep trying to run and hide."   
  
All mock warmth and teasing that was in the giant's voice earlier had disappeared completely. A variety of horrific thoughts entered his mind once more of what the enormous being would do to him if it were to get his hands on him.   
  
The floor beneath him shook rattled several times, with pauses in between. Each one more intense than the last.  
  
It dawned on him that the giant was moving once again, this time, closer to their side.   
  
The other man slammed the door of the closet shut, leaving them in darkness, with the only light coming from the small gaps of the door. Once again, there was a pause between tremors before one more hit the ground. "I know for a fact you're still on this floor. You might as well give up. You're only making this harder on yourself than it needs to be."   
  
The giant's voice was  _right there._ Strong and loud enough to go jounce his insides around.    
  
Jonah backed as far as he could into the dark corner of the closet, just in time to hear the shattering of windows and something big move next door. He suddenly heard screams from the other side of the wall. Apparently, there had been students inside the classroom next door, trying to take refuge from the giant outside. He heard a frenzy of people trying to run outside, while some people were hysterically screaming, even audible among all the alarms. The sounds of desks splintering and walls crumbling overpowered the loud thumping of his heart.   
  
_Ohgodohgodohgodohgod..._  
  
He knew that the room that the three of them were in was next. That when he realized that he wouldn't find him in the classroom next door, he'd thoroughly search this room, closets, desks and all.   
  
Jonah, with hands that refused to be still, slowly opened the door to peak to make out the position of the giant, he could make out the side of his head, strands of platinum hair longer than himself blocking his view of his eyes, which seemed focused on the looking through the windows of the class next door of frenzied humans.   
  
Gulping harshly, he ran back to the classroom door, hearing a sharp "Wait!" from the man who had checked on them earlier. He ignored the squawking as he took the opportunity to head back the way he came, to hide on a floor higher than he was previously on.   
  
He heard footsteps right behind him and looked back to see a more than worried Rachel, running right behind him. "Jonah, where the hell are you going!?"   She yelled, her voice barely audible in the waves of alarms and screams. He had made it in between the hallway when he watched some a light flicker and shoot out out right above her head. She fell to her knees with a shriek to avoid the sparks raining down.   
  
"Rachel!" He yelled, turning around so quickly he nearly tripped over himself. He ran towards her, arm outstretched to help her up. She grabbed it immediately, and slowly got to her feet, legs trembling.   
  
The light, that shone from the windows was suddenly blocked out, forcing the two to look to their left.   
  
Right there, were now two of the enormous, golden eyes that had changed their world. The pupils were vertically slitted like a cat's, trained on the both of their hand locked forms.   
  
_"Theeeeeere you aaaaaaare..."_    
  
Jonah swore he could have fainted right there as he found himself once again frozen with terror, hand still gripping the equally terrified Rachel's as the two looked at those enormous orbs with abject horror for which neither of them had seen the likes of.   
  
And that's when that same enormous hand smashed through the walls and windows, wide with a palm taller than he was, and came for the duo.   
  
This time, the two had no chance to escape.   
  
 The four fingers entirely blocked the view of the staircase on the left, curling over towards the young student as the bottom of his palm blocked the right, utterly leaving no room for Rachel to get through.   
  
The two huddled together as the hand began to slowly close around them. The held each other and screamed as the giant let out a short, humorless laugh from outside. Jonah felt himself being pushed by the tree-trunk sized fingers into the thick, warm palm.   
  
His world began to grow dark as the hand solidified itself around the two, with the completely hysterical Rachel being pressed against him.   
  
Before the fingers closed in, blocking all light, he heard the terrible giant, in a harsh, subdued voice, say "I've finally found you... _traitor."_


	3. Chapter 2 Part 1: Not Happening

Jonah found himself pinned to the giant's palm, with the fingers tightly pressing into the his back and legs into the warm folds of skin. Rachel was uncomfortably pressed against him with those same fingers, pressed against him, under his chin. She was screaming into his shirt, and he could feel his shirt becoming wet with her tears. He himself was dangerously close to falling into hysterics. His was indescribably scared. Thoughts of how he would die and all the regrets he had in his life congealed in his mind. His life flashed before his eyes. He lamented not answering, what probably was, the last phone call he would receive in his soon to end life. Why didn't he answer? Why did he choose not to just press that green button?  If only he could have just chosen to talk to his father one last time.   
  
Suddenly, he felt motion as he felt the hand he was in pull forward before lurching upward, far to fast for him to adjust. He struggled to breathe as he felt himself rise far too quickly, the heat radiating from the hand nearly suffocating him. Even Rachel seemed to have gone quiet as the two rose up in the air.   
  
Suddenly, the hand came to a complete stop, and suddenly, the fingers that pressed against him shuddered and than retreated, allowing light to flow into the widening crevice the two had been in. He fell on his back, with Rachel tumbling away from him as he gathered his breathe.    
  
With quite a bit of difficulty, he leaned up as best he can, his shoulder throbbing from its recent stream of abuse. He immediately wished he hadn't.   
  
In front of him, was a billboard sized face that peered down at him with those flashing, golden eyes. A smirk spread on his face, bleeding malevolence.   
  
The giant looked human. Far too human rather than the hulk-like beings that he had read in stories when he was a child. Even more surprising was that he looked surprisingly young. Probably a bit younger than him by a year or two. He had shaggy, platinum blonde hair, strands that were thick as wires and coils. He had incredibly pale, almost fluorescent skin, as though he hadn't seen the outdoors in some time. There were slight bags under his eyes, giving him a worn and tired appearance. The most prominent feature was the horizontal scar that went across his nose, as if something sharp cleanly cut through it.  
  
From Jonah's high position, he could make out what seemed similar to the standard blue dress military uniform he'd seen his cousin wear, except instead of being blue, it was dark gray with a black buckle. It was void of any badges, and seemed to have tears in several spots around the collar and sleeves.   
  
The giant let out a clipped chuckle right before he felt himself, once again, rise up. He was swept with vertigo as he watched his surroundings descend below his line of sight from his position in the giant's palm.   
  
As he went higher into the air, it suddenly dawned him that the giant had been  _kneeling_  that entire time. That realization left him completely speechless. Wessinger Hall, the building he was just in moments ago, devoted to mathematics and sciences, as well as being one of the tallest buildings on campus at seven stories, was only roughly half the height of this giant. This giant, who was now standing to his full height, had to be around a massive 140 or 150 feet tall. Far too large for any living being should be.   
  
"So this is where you've been hiding out, you spineless  _coward_." The giant's taunted, his voice more sonorous than ever before with his two captives in close proximity to a mouth that could easily gulp both of them down. "It took far too long to find you. I see you've made yourself right at home on this little mud ball of a planet." His eyes shifted to the other occupant in his hand, who flinched the moment his eyes landed on her. "Even got yourself a nice, little friend too I see.  _Cute."_  
  
Rachel, at her limit, fell to her knees as Jonah found himself gasping for air. He fearfully stared at those eyes, which seemed to see right through him like a laser. One eyebrow quirked up as the eyes bore down on him.   
  
"Nothing to say? Or are you in too much shock that after all these years, you've finally been caught?" The giant asked inquisitively, lifting the hand closer to his face. "That you could run off just like that?"   
  
Utterly afraid and confused, Jonah had to struggle for words. "Wh-wh-what...?"   
  
He jumped when he saw the giant's mouth formed a formidable sneer. "...' _What?'_  What do you mean 'what?'"   
  
Jonah couldn't stop shaking under the scrutiny. He could hear Rachel whimpering only a foot away from him. The next words took every ounce of courage he had left in himself. "Wh-wh-what are y-you t-t-talking about?"   
  
For a brief moment, the giant face that encompassed his entire view went dumbstruck. Right before it fixed itself with look of pure rage.   
  
Before he could even move, the giant's other hand plucked him up between two fingers before the fingers wrapped around him, forming a tight fist. Only his head stood out, with his arms pressed painfully against his sides. He felt his rib cage being slowly crushed, blocking most of his air flow. An unhealthy cough came out, as he literally was getting the wind crushed out of him.   
  
The enormous blonde-haired giant brought the wheezing young man to his face. His voice was low and venomous when he said, "Don't you  _dare_  play dumb with  _me_ , you bastard. You've got some nerve to pretend like you're some innocent victim in all this."   
  
Once again, the giant's grip shifted, holding the scared boy between his thumb and index finger. Jonah cried out as he was borne aloft, with nothing solid under his feet. The giant dangled to boy even closer to his eyes. The titanic being's narrowed into slits. "I'm not a fool, Arum. Don't take me for one. Now..." The giant pressed against his back and chest, barely allowing the young man breathe, "Before I crush you like the insignificant bug you now are, you had better tell me: W _here. Is. It?"_  
  
From both fear and being manhandled like a rag doll, Jonah was becoming dizzy. He was barely capable of thinking straight any more. Too much. This was too much. This couldn't be happening. There was no way this could be real. Things like this shouldn't exist. Anything like this shouldn't exist. He began to sweat, feeling too hot to breathe. His vision was still a blur from so many movements at once.   
  
Feeling the giant's patience waning thin, he forced himself to speak. "I...I honestly d-don't know wh-what y-y-you're talking about. P-please...don't..."   
  
The giant's expression became more severe. If that was possible. "Do you have a death wish, Arum? Are you trying to plead? If so, then you aren't convincing anybody with that act." The giant closed more onto the young college student's body. "Strike one."   
  
Jonah's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. "No, no, no  _nonono!_  Please!  _Hack!_ My name is Jonah! Not Arum! Th-there must be a mista- _ggh_!"   
  
Jonah was caught off as the enormous thumb pressed in more into his aching body. He could feel the bones of his rib cage about to give way. A wave of pain shot up his entire upper body as the impossibly large finger on his back prodded into his spine.   
  
"What did I just say about playing me for a fool, Arum?  _Don't_  screw with me. I never took you for a glutton for punishment, but looks like I was wrong." The giant began to smile wickedly. "Strike two."   
  
 _"Stop it!"_  Jonah heard from below. Even amidst the myriad of pain he was suffering, he could make out Rachel's voice.   
  
The giant, somewhat amused, glanced down into his other hand at the young female who looked as though she was having second thoughts about speaking out.  _"_ I nearly forgot about you. You guys are called humans, right? Varas was telling me she wanted some new test subjects. Think she'll settle with you though." He said, tilting his hand enough for the terrified girl to fall onto her back with a shriek.        
  
Unable to see from his position, but hearing her scream, something welled up in Jonah amidst the layers of fear and pain. "No! You bastard! Don't you dare do anything to her!"   
  
The enormous head snapped back to him in an instant. "Well, look whose finally got some guts? So this girl means something to you, huh?"   
  
Suddenly, the two column-like fingers that had him suspended in the air released him. He felt weightlessness as he found himself hurdling down the sky. He hadn't had the chance to scream when he found himself sprawled out back in his other hand. Rachel immediately crawled towards him as he took large gasps for air. "Jonah! Oh my god, Jonah, are you alright?"   
  
Jonah couldn't answer as his chest burned with each breath he took, reminding him of how close he came to having several bones broken. Or worse, crushed between only two fingers like a small twig. Just as Rachel held a hand out to presumably help him, the two heard the giant rumble a chuckle above them.   
  
"Oh yeah...that's right. I have to bring you back alive. Silly me, how could I have forgotten so easily?" The giant asked himself in a way that almost sounded whimsical. "You were just acting so spineless, it made me so angry. Can't forget that no matter how much I despise you, I'm not supposed to kill you." The giant suddenly perked up, looking behind himself. "Hm?"   
  
Jonah, with all his might, turned a bit onto his side, to see something coming from a distance. The blinking lights were unmistakable. A fleet of police cars and vans were speeding down the road towards them, more police cars than he had seen in his life. He could make out a few ambulances and about a couple of fire trucks, roaring down the streets as fast as they could. For some reason, Jonah couldn't feel much relief at the sight; he knew it would probably take more than the police force to take down such an enormous being. The giant, who easily towered over the student learning center, blocked off most of the way to the building of the terrified inhabitants, with some brave souls looking from the windows at the giant whose back was facing them.   
  
The blonde giant let out a dry laugh. "Is this the only defense you guys have against me? If that's it, then this world is more backwater than I thought." His yellow eyes, pupils now round, looked back at the two humans in his hand. "Oh well, I've got what I came for and more. Don't have anymore reason to stick around."   
  
Suddenly, the giant's eyes glowed as the sun. A sound like electricity went through the air as something blue and thin began to materialize from behind the giant's back. Two, gigantic, ethereal-like panels jutted from his back before folding up than downward in a graceful motion. Star-likes specks fluttered into the sky as the light began to dumb down, allowing Jonah to make out what had just happened.   
  
The giant had sprouted wings on his back. The wings looked majestic like a bird, but instead of feathers, were blue, spacey-like voids that glowed brightly. They were truly alien, looking like no wings he had ever seen on a fowl in his life.   
  
The wings began to flap, starting off slow at first before picking up speed. The giant began to hover above the ground, about twenty feet high a bit.   
  
The enormous wings, with a wingspan of about 300 feet across, were generating powerful winds, which caused the already damaged Wessinger building to have bricks and debris fly from it, also causing some of the students to literally fly away from the windows. Jonah felt Rachel grab his prone hand in one of her own, while wrapping her arm around one of the giant's fingers as best as she could with the other just as the giant began to move forward. With the strength he could muster, he held her hand as tightly as he could, as to avoid flying out from the sudden movement.  
  
The police cars, who were in front of all the ambulances and firetrucks, were forced to come to a stop as they saw the giant fly towards them. Several vehicles nearly crashed into the vehicles that came to a sudden halt in front of them. The giant slowed down as he stopped in front of them, smiling down at them with compassion-less eyes. He flapped his wings harder, generating strong gusts of wind that blew nearly anything that wasn't attached to the ground away. The cars were blasted backwards, with the closest cars catching some impressive airtime before falling a significant distance back. In such close proximity, it was as though many of them had been caught by a powerful cyclone. Despite the loudness of the sirens and the strength of the winds, Jonah could make out screams and shouts coming from the cars as they were literally being blown away as though they were leaves. Never had he felt more helpless in his life.  
  
Admiring his handiwork, the giant smirked before jetting into the skies. Rachel screamed at the speeds they were going, as the world below passed like a blur. Had Jonah not been feeling so exhausted from pain and fatigue, he himself probably would have screamed too. But he could barely speak, let alone gather enough oxygen to scream. Hell, he had no more stamina to even move.  
  
The campus site had been left behind within seconds, and soon, he could make out nothing but green below between the gaps of the pillar sized fingers. He rationalized that they were over a forest, seeing as he couldn't see any buildings. The dizziness hadn't faded one bit.   
  
So, was it his time?  
  
It wasn't fair. How did this happened? Was Rachel going to suffer? Was he going to suffer? What did he do?   
  
Why?  
  
Why did he witness what happened last month? Why didn't pick up the phone? Why did this giant attack his school? Why was he in pain? Why did so many other students die? Why did Rachel have to be taken captive as well? Why did she have to suffer? Why was he suffering? Why couldn't he shake the feeling that this was his fault?  
  
Why?   
  
 _Why?_  
  
 _ **Why?**_    
  
"Why...?" Jonah asked sorrowfully, his hoarse voice barely above a whisper. Rachel turned to look at him, tears streaming from her blue eyes.   
  
The giant seemed to have not noticed, or at least cared about, the growing despair of his two captives, eyes focused only ahead. Soaring across the blue skies like an eagle. His shadow bounced from the trees, causing several birds to sweep out his way.   
  
"You know, Arum," the giant spoke, breaking the deafening silence,"I have to admit. I expected you to put up more of a fight, like last time. Back when you were the baddest dude around. But instead, I come across this tiny, insignificant whelp who couldn't even speak without stuttering."   
  
The giant paused before speaking, his voice sounding a bit...disappointed.   
  
"Well, I guess I shouldn't be shocked. You've changed a lot..." the giant stated with some infliction, "...in too many ways than one."   
  
Jonah just stared up, unable to answer. He had no idea what this cruel, misguided giant was talking about. Who the hell is Arum? And why was he still calling him that?    
  
"But I guess it's for the best, I suppose. I can't imagine taking you on if you were...well,  _you._ But I can appreciate the universe's sense of humor once in a while." Jonah felt Rachel tighten her grip as the hand they were on  was brought back to the giant's face. "I can't believe it's come to this. This is so anticlimactic, I'm beginning to wonder was everything I did back then worth it? But that's one of those things you find out in the long run, I guess. It's just so weird that it was this easy." The giant's eyes narrowed. "You didn't do anything. I bet, as you are now, you can't even do a damn thing to stop me."   
  
"No, but  _I_  can."   
  
The two humans and giants looked up to see a bright flash from overhead at where that sudden voice came from. The giant snarled as he was blinded by the sudden light, bringing his free hand to shield his eyes.   
  
Something huge collided into the crook the the giant's arm. The giant cried out as his hand flattened out, causing the two humans to fly off.   
  
Jonah and Rachel screamed, still holding their hands as they were propelled up from the momentum for one second right before they began to plummet. Their screams louder as they saw the ground growing closer and closer.   
  
Out of nowhere, something began to curl around the two falling sophomores, slowing their descent. Jonah felt himself lying against something far to similar as the giant's palm, with Rachel right next to him, still arm locked.   
  
He felt himself speeding towards the right before whatever had them began to slow to a stop. The feeling of vertigo returned to him as he felt himself being lowered to the ground before whatever he was lying on landed on the ground below. The platform tilted, allowing the two to slowly slide off onto the ground.   
  
Jonah felt Rachel, with a huff, grab his wrist and push him to his feet from under his arm. He hissed in pain at the treatment of his bruised ribs, but was able to teeter onto his feet. Straining, he looked up as a shadow surrounded them.   
  
And as impossible upon impossibilities it seemed, was another otherworldly surprise.  
  
Towering above them, with the ever-so-bright sun masking his face, was another giant. 


	4. Chapter 2 Part 2: Unreal

The giant that stood before them looked down on the two frightened people at his feet from on high, in the most literal sense. Towering over all the trees around, with gigantic wings similar to the other giant, he gave Jonah the impression of an avenging angel, except being somewhere around the size of the Statue of Liberty. He looked a bit older than Jonah, probably around his early to mid twenties, with cold, icy blue eyes; pupils also narrowed into vertical slits. He had short, dark brown hair, with a parted fringe that was tussled a bit from coming down from the sky. He wore a navy blue, military-esque overcoat with silver trimmings and coat tails that gentle flapped against the wind. He wore even darker blue gloves that seemed to have a buckle around the wrist. His pants went into his nearly knee high boots, which were higher than his own two-story home.   
  
The giant regarded them briefly before turning completely around, walking towards where the blonde giant had fallen. Countless birds squawked in surprise and agitation of the enormous presences that had landed in their home, flying away from them in every direction. The giant seemed to have paid them no mind as he slowly made his way towards the younger-looking giant.   
  
From a distance, Jonah could make out the giant that had captured them slowing leaning up, having literally been hit out of the sky. His golden eyes now glowed bright with rage. So brightly, that Jonah expected lasers to shoot from them. He hissed as he struggled to get to his feet, glaring at the other giant with a look of anger so intense, he wondered if it would grave itself on his face permanently.   
  
The blonde giant yelled something to the one in blue in a language he had never heard before. Something so alien, there wasn't anything to compare it to. By his tone and terseness, Jonah assumed he was calling the giant that interfered a short string of obscenities. The giant in blue didn't seem to have been phased as he stared back at the other, eyes completely determined. The giant responded to the blond in a cool, collected voice. However, to Jonah's ears, he could make out the subtle hint of what seemed like mockery from the infliction of the giant's tone.  
  
With a shout, the blonde giant lunged forward, wings splayed on his back like an angry bat, a fist going straight for other's face. The giant in blue seemed to have foreseen his action, and move slightly to the left, the fist hitting nothing but air. In a flash, he grabbed the blonde giant's arm, and with a small grunt, swung it, as well as the giant itself, into the air.    
  
The giant bolted into the sky, wings flapping as he charged towards the blonde giant, who was struggling to steady himself in the air to get his wings working. Just as he managed to gain purchase in a somewhat vertical position, the blue giant landed a powerful kick into his chest. Even though they were so high in the air, Jonah could hear the sheer impact of the kick. The blonde giant coughed as he once again found himself on the ground, skidding on his back and splintering numerous trees that he collided with before slowing to a stop. Woodland creatures desperately ran away from the giant that inadvertently demolished the foliage all around.   
  
The blonde giant quickly pushed himself up just in time to dodge a punched directed to the side of his noggin. The giant in blue growled just as the other giant tried to deliver a swift roundhouse kick was delivered to the side of his neck. The giant in blue reacted quickly, and blocked it with his arms, not without grunting and being sent back a few feet. From Jonah's vantage point, he could make out the blonde giant, who seemed to be half a head taller than the other, reach for the other giant's arm.   
  
The giant in blue was swung around, right before he was pushed onto his back. The blonde titan smirked as he stood over the other, giving him an appearance of a devil as he knelled down to go straight for the other's neck.   
  
But the giant in blue thought quickly, and used both his feet to deliver a powerful kick to the the other's chest, sending him flying backwards. The blue giant stood up, and caught the blonde in an one-armed, headlock-lock as he was falling midair, before twisting around and letting smash his face into a cluster of shrubbery.   
  
From what Jonah could tell, the giant in blue, despite being a bit smaller than the blonde, seemed more experienced in combat; his movements were more poised and tactical, which made the blonde giant almost seem clumsy. However, seeing the two beings that were taller than everything around them duke it out sent a wave of unease going down his spine.    
  
He was beginning to wonder if he and Rachel were safe from the battlefield the giants had created.   
  
From what he could tell, the giant in blue seemed to be hitting the blonde giant further and further  _away_  from the two, as if trying to get them further from harm as he possibly could. Jonah felt Rachel shudder under his arm and he looked back at his friend, who was trembling so heavily, he wondered how she was able to maintain balance while helping him keep his.   
  
Rachel had always seem confident. Never could he imagine her vulnerable. Granted, in this situation, both of them had every right to be.   
  
What was happening around them was no movie. Everything that had been happening was happening right in front of them, completely tangible. The impossible breaching their reality.   
  
And, somehow, he had become apart of it.   
  
His head throbbed as he began to feel his legs go numb from under him. Rachel gasped at the sudden increase in weight from over her shoulders as she turned to look at the dazed Jonah. "Jonah!  _Oh my god_ , are you alright!?"   
  
Jonah used the very little strength he had to wipe his brow, sucking in a swear as his shoulder stung. "Y-yeah...I...I..."   
  
A veering sound whisked over them as the two looked forward to see the giant in blue dropkick the blonde giant in the stomach. The blonde giant's eyes went wide as he coughed up blood. However, he recovered quickly enough to grab his opponent's leg. With a strong yank, he pulled the giant to the ground. The giant in blue looked slightly startled right before his face collided against the ground, just missing flattening a fleeing deer.   
  
The giant in blue got to his hands and knees, shaking off the the pain and dirt before rolling away from the pale, gasping, angry behemoth that was ever so slowly pushing himself off the ground. The brunette was much quicker to his feet and immediately elbowed the side of the blonde giant's head. The blonde giant looked dazed, his glowing eyes dimming.   
  
It was then that giant in blue grabbed hold of the front of the blonde's jacket before rocketing into the sky so fast, that it caused a riptide of dust, dirt and foliage. They were forced to shield their eyes as the dust cloud enveloped the two before dissipating. Jonah and Rachel watched the two jettison into the sky, soaring so high that they were merely specks, and they soon disappeared beyond the brightness of the sun's rays.   
  
A few seconds of calm passed, but the unease hadn't left him yet.   
  
A sound not unlike a jet sounded as the he saw the black speck become visible once again, growing larger and larger as it came closer to the ground so quick, that neither of the students had time to brace themselves.   
  
The ground shook violently as if the very forest had erupted. Even from a distance, the shockwave was strong enough to send the both of them almost flying off of their feet. Jonah and Rachel cried out as another wave of dust, dirt, leaves and pebbles flew all around them, obscuring their entire view of what was in front of them. However, another gust of wind blew them all away, allowing the two to be able to see once more around them.   
  
Through bleary eyes, Jonah could see the giant in blue flapping his wings, hovering above the prone form of the blonde giant that was lying in a massive crater. The blonde's wings began to disintegrate, particles evaporating into the sky. No movement or sound came from him as he lay completely still, unconscious.    
  
The victorious, winged being examined him before slowly landing. His own wings began to shine brightly before beginning to dissipate. After a moment, he turned away from the other giant and walked towards the two humans who had witnessed the entire battle from below.   
  
Jonah's heart fell out of his body as he watched the new giant make his way towards them with ease, the majority of unharmed trees around barely coming up to the cusps of his knees. His desire to run was incapacitated from the extreme fatigue he was feeling. Rachel, on the other hand, was more than willing to help drag him to the best of her ability, in an attempt to escape. However, the giant's steps that shook the very ground covered significantly more ground than their own, and in moments, he was upon them.   
  
In his shadow, Jonah felt like an insect, soon to be squashed as the giant towered over them. His eyes peered down at the two of them as though searching through their very souls. Suddenly, the giant shifted, lowering himself onto one knee with a loud thud, leaving the two trapped between the trees and him.   
  
Jonah could only look at the giant in a mix of awe and fear as Rachel began to whimper next to him, before openly sobbing. A wave of helplessness came over him as he began to shudder himself under those strong, blue eyes.   
  
To his amazement, the giant's eyes softened, as if sensing the terror of the two individuals. With a sigh, his backed away a bit, giving the two more breathing space. Jonah could make out a sense of...remorse coming from him.   
  
"Relax," The giant in blue said, in very clear English, "I mean neither of you any harm. Honest." He turned his head to Jonah, who flinched, giving him a small smile. "Especially to you, Arum."   
  
Jonah tried to speak, but his voice was hoarse, his throat sore from the all the screaming he did. He swallowed and tried once again, but no sound came to him.  
  
The giant seemed to raise an eyebrow as he noticed the smaller being struggle for words. "Are you alright, Arum? What's the matter? More importantly..." The giant tilted his head, "Why in the world are you  _still_  like that?"  
  
The nineteen-year-old gulped a bit, his throat regretting the action, as he once again tried to speak. "I...I th-think...mistake...there's b-been some sort of m-mistake."   
  
The giant's face seemed to have drooped, as if he misheard something. "Mistake? What do you mean?"   
  
Jonah, now feeling terrible that he opened his mouth in the first place, took in a shuddering sigh. "I-I...M-my name is J-Jonah. I...I'm n-n-not Arum. I-I'm Jonah."   
  
The giant's expression changed from soft to unreadable. Not for the first time today, Jonah began to panic. While he didn't really appear angry, seemed far from happy.   
  
The giant's eyes began to glow, basking the two in their light. Both of the two humans yelped and hugged each other tightly as they expected the giant to suddenly go berserk and crush them. Instead of anything of the sort, his eyes immediately dimmed down, his face becoming stoic.   
  
"...I'm not mistaken." The giant answered simply, "You  _are_  Arum."   
  
Jonah calmed down when he realized that whatever the giant had did with his eyes seemed to lack any malevolent intent. Not enough to  _not_ remain afraid of course. "N-no...really...I-I'm Jonah. I d-don't know any A-Arum. I...I d-don't."   
  
Rachel was still crying, wiping her eyes with her free arm. "G-go away...just go away. I want to l-leave...I want to go...I want t-t-to go back."   
  
At that moment, it seemed that the weight of the world had fallen onto his shoulders, as it took everything he had to not fall onto his knees. "J-just...pl-please...I..."   
  
The giant's mouth parted a bit, as if shocked by the display of the emotion coming from the human.   
  
There was a long silence between them. No one spoke, as the only sound that came were from the forest around them, the wind blowing around them, leaving them in their own circle.   
  
How did he become involved in this? Who was this? Who was the other giant? Who is Arum? Was all this caused by a misunderstanding? His name wasn't Arum. He was Jonah. Jonah Michaels. He was...   
  
"The Grand Centurion Key..."   
  
Jonah's thoughts were interrupted when he heard the giant speak something. A moment passed before he asked, "Wh-what?"   
  
"The Grand Centurion Key," the giant repeated, "Does that mean anything to you?"   
  
Jonah could only stare up at the giant before slowly shaking his head.   
  
The giant's eyes narrowed slightly. "Let me rephrase it a little. The Grand Centurion Key of Traxia. The World Stabilizer. The Last Key to Control All Worlds. Does that seem to ring any bells?"   
  
Jonah became even more confused, and, with some hesitation, shook his head once more.   
  
The giant's eyes met Jonah's, as if searching for something that didn't exist. After a minute of silence, a subtle hint of sorrow seemed to show on his face. "I see."   
  
The giant gave a short sigh, looking at the sky for a moment before looking back to the two humans. "My name is Seron. I am the lieutenant general of the Vira Deltra Batallion, and have been for the past century." He said, before his mouth pitched downward into a frown. "Let me assure you...this...isn't the first time we've met."   
  
Jonah was only able to register the giant's name in his head. The giant spoke as though he believed Jonah to be familiar with such terminology. Then again, the giant, for some odd reason, also believed that they had met sometime in the past. Jonah tried to think back on all the familiar faces he met in his life, all the friends he had made, but nothing came to mind.   
  
Suddenly, the giant's lifted his hand and began to reach for them. Rachel covered her mouth to muffle her cry just as Jonah took in a wheezy gasp.   
  
However, instead of being grabbed, like what had happened earlier with the blonde giant, the giant carefully laid down his gloved hand, palm up, right next to them. They blinked before looking back up to the giant, whose somewhat sorrowful face now beheld compassion. "It's alright. I will not hurt either of you. I promise." The giant flattened his hand more, leaving it as still as he possible.   
  
Jonah stared at the palm, large enough to encompass both he and Rachel with plenty of room to spare. Memories of what the blonde giant, tearing through Wessinger Hall like cardboard immediately came to mind. The feeling was still all too fresh in his mind.   
  
The giant let out a long-suffering sigh before speaking. "I understand your fright. Especially for you, young human..." the giant said, eyes falling on the blonde girl who was the only reason Jonah was still standing. She took a step back, as if preparing to run, but the giant didn't make any attempt to stop her. "You've gotten mixed up into something you really shouldn't have. But please..." the giant said, as if pleading, "I'm the only one who can take you guys out of here. And I will explain everything once we're in a less compromised position."   
  
The giant, all too aware of how close he was to the two frightened teens, gingerly brought his hand closer to them, beckoning them to get on. "Trust me..."   
  
Rachel, who looked as though she was sick, brought a hand to her mouth. Jonah, on the other hand, only continued to stare at the blue eyes above them. The pupils had returned to a more normal, round form. In contrast to the giant who wrecked mayhem on his small college campus, his eyes, despite looking icy and stoic, seemed genuine and kind. It lacked the darkness that was seeping through the other giant's eyes.   
  
Then it occurred to him: this giant could have easily taken the both of them by force, or at least have left Rachel stranded in this forest while taking him without any effort. This giant was giving him the decision to come with him. An act of respect that seemed unnecessary for someone so big.   
  
And he was right about one thing: who knows how long it would take for someone to find them there. And Jonah felt that he was in a more immediate need of medical help with the pain shooting up from his chest.   
  
Jonah, feeling somewhat more confident than he had in a while, wet his clammy lips before saying, "Alright."   
  
Rachel looked at him as though he had sprouted another head. For a moment, it seemed like Rachel was going to let him drop to the ground. "Wh-what!? Are you  _insane?_  He could...he could k-kill us!"    
  
"I know..." Jonah answered, looking at the ground for the moment, "But don't you think he would have done it already?"   
  
Rachel didn't immediately say anything, but her eyes became angry. He didn't know if it was anger born of worry or of itself, but she was no longer whimpering as she whispered harshly to him, "And whose to say he isn't just baiting us? Besides..." Her eyes narrowed, "Or rather, how do we know if he is just as bad as that other guy."   
  
Jonah's voice rose. "Do you honestly think we'd still be standing here if he was as bad as that other guy? He..." Jonah started, shifting his gaze from Rachel's face to the giant's, no,  _Seron's_  eyes. "He did save us."   
  
The edges if Seron's mouth crooked up, giving the faintest smile back down to Jonah. Jonah couldn't smile back, but did nod his head in the affirmative. "Besides...look at where we are. Please, Rachel. I know this is kind of arbitrary but there is no way out of here anyway."   
  
Rachel looked absolutely flabbergasted, unable to comprehend what was coming from her friend's mouth.   
  
Jonah winced as he slowly took his arm away from Rachel's shoulders, stumbling a bit when he lost his only support. Rachel was quick to help grab him, but he was stubborn and stepped away from her. He cautiously walked towards the hand, his chest aching with each step he took. He began to wonder if the blonde giant had broken one of his ribs after all. He peeked up, seeing the huge concerned eyes hover above him.   
  
With more effort than he though it would take, he stepped into the giant's palm. Even with the gloves, it was as if stepping onto a somewhat sturdier version of a mattress. The fingers curled a bit, his giant's index finger coming next to him. Jonah cringed at first, expecting the finger to push him down, but instead, they hung there, like a railing of some sort. He grabbed the fingertip to help him steady himself as he took a few more steps into the hand before he was forced to kneel lest he completely collapse, wrapping an arm around his chest that gave no gentle reminder that he would probably need to see a doctor.   
  
Rachel, greatly alarmed upon watching her friend struggle to even walk, reached a hand towards him. When his knees hit the gloved hand below him, she sucked in a sharp breath of air and, her eyes carefully focused on the giant's arm, climbed onto the massive hand, helping the hurting boy onto his back to lie down in a more comfortable position.   
  
"We'll have to tend to you first, Jonah. Before anything else." Seron told them, "This shouldn't have happened."   
  
The hand below them shuddered before slowly rising into the air. Unlike the blonde giant's, his movements were slow and deliberate. Much more careful of the precious passengers, Seron stood up slow enough to not jostle the two in his hand. The fingers, large and imposing, hung around them like a shield.   
  
Once at full height, Jonah, head tilted to the side, could make out the devastation of a portion of the forest the two giants had caused during their fight.   
  
Well, a fight wasn't the right word, as the Seron completely dominated it seemed.   
  
From above, the two could see the prone form of the blonde giant, lying in a crater that seemed to look like it was caused by a speeding comet. He recalled seeing Seron piledrive the blonde so hard, it wiped out most of the foliage in it's radius.   
  
Seron glanced back the other giant before looking back at the two teens in his palm. "He's not done yet. That's Terez. If anything, he'll be unconscious for a while. But we can't stick around for long. More than likely, more of him will be here soon."   
  
Rachel actually spoke out, voice fleeting. "M-more of him?"   
  
Seron nodded, before peeking behind him once more. "Like I said, this really shouldn't have happened. Not here."   
  
Seron did something with his free hand before reaching in front of him. A slight flowed through his hand, the light that was exactly like the one that came after the earthquake at school. Jonah closed his eyes right before the light dimmed down.   
  
After blinking a bit, he opened his eyes wider.   
  
There was a completely white portal, suspended in air as large as a skyscraper. It stood out from the colorful scenery surrounding it like a blot of white paint in a Monet painting.   
  
Jonah began to wonder if he was indeed dreaming. Far too many improbable events were happening far too quickly, as if right out of a science fiction movie. Too surreal to be fake though. And his sore body also begged to differ. He looked up to the enormous face of Seron, whose attention was fully focused on the portal he had just opened.   
  
Seron took a step forward towards the portal, his eyes beginning to glow once more. "Hang on, we'll be where we need to shortly."   
  
And with one more step, they all entered the world of white.   
  
Just as Jonah's world became bright, a rather inane thought came to mind.  
  
 _'Well, if this is a dream, it'll be a nice story to tell in the future.'_


	5. Chapter 3: Conscious

  
_"How are you feeling?"_   
  
_"Look Daddy! Look!"_   
  
_"You took it!"  
  
 **"Hey...hey kid..."**_   
  
_"Bastard..."_   
  
Entering Hyperdrive. Est. Time of Arrival: Approximately 2.56 seconds   
  
_"Good work Jonah!"  
  
"You monster..."  
  
 **"Hey, can you hear me?"**  
  
WARNING! WARNING!  
  
"You're not really going to...?"   
  
 **Traitor.**  
  
"Change the tides of this world..."   
  
System recovery. Est. ERROR   
  
ERROR ERROR ERROR   
  
STRUCTURAL DAMAGE IN HULL DETECTED   
  
 **"I don't get this chance often."**    
  
"How's Mom doing?"    
  
78% ENGINE FAILURE  
  
"How could you...how could you..."   
  
"Jonah..."   
  
POWER: 12.734%    
  
"Please...don't..."   
  
Jonah...   
  
"Exactly..."    
  
ERROR ERROR ERROR  
  
"What have you done?"   
  
 **"Talk to me! Can you hear me? C'mon!"  
  
** EMERGENCY LANDING IN APPROXIMATELY THREE MINUTES, TWENTY THREE SECONDS   
  
Who...   
  
"Someone call an ambulance!"   
  
"Jonah! Jonah, answer me!"    
  
...are you?    
  
 **"...Did you just...respond?"**  
  
RECALCULATING...RECALCULATING...   
  
 **"Heh...Finally..."**  
  
"He's bleeding out!"   
  
"What's...going on?"   
  
APPROXIMATE TIME UNTIL IMPACT: FORTY-SIX SECONDS   
  
"Wait! I didn't mean it!"   
  
"Monster...heartless..."   
  
"Come back, Jonah!"   
  
"Where is it?"  
  
 **"About damn time..."**_

  
\----- 

  
Jonah's world was bright and blurry as he slowly opened his eyes. Splotches of color danced around his vision, slowly recalibrating as he struggled with the constant limbo between the realm of sleep and the world of the awake. Awareness hadn't come to him yet, as his mind still was catching up to everything. Not that he remembered falling asleep anyway.

It was when he saw that the ceiling he was looking at wasn't the muted green shade of his dorm, but a reflective mirror that seemed like it may have been miles high was when reality began to settle in.

He leaned upwards, grunting when the bones of his chest sent a sharp pain going through his body. He looked down to see that he was lying down on what seemed like some sort of grayish, round berth. His left shoulder sent spasms after spasms of agony as he steadied himself into a sitting position. His berth seem to be lying on a chrome like platform, with not many signs of of wear or blemishes. 

He didn't feel well rested at all. In fact, he didn't even remember losing consciousness. More importantly, he was in a place he didn't even recognize. There was no sign of Rachel or Seron.  

The room seem to be mainly gray scale, him seemingly being the only one to stand out from the rather monochrome interior. The room was several times larger than a football field, with the walls so far away, and the ceiling so high, he might as well have been outside. He couldn't imagine what purpose it served for. 

For some odd reason, the thought of his girlfriend, Diana, came to mind. It was then that his promise came to mind.

"Ugh..." He moaned aloud, his chest still aching. "So much for our date."  

He wiped his hand on his face, groaning.

Just then, he heard the sound of hydraulics as an enormous door he hadn't noticed before slid open. 

And he was promptly reminded of everything that happened. 

At the door, looking at him with bright blue eyes, was a man dressed in what seemed like a mix between a white lab coat and a field coat. He had short black hair and wore a pair of glasses, making his eyes look bigger than they already were. He wore black slacks with black shoes. Jonah was somewhat reminded of a paramedic in a way. 

Except this man, like Seron, was also over one hundred feet tall. 

_'Oh...damn...they just keep coming!'_

The man's shock was gone and was soon replaced with an ecstatic face. "Ah!, you're awake!" 

Any trace of sleep instantly vanished as Jonah scrambled backwards from his berth. Unfortunately, unlike his bed, there was no rail for him to lean on and he fell off. He yelped when his back collided with the chrome surface, reigniting a flare up his spine. 

He heard the giant hurriedly come towards him, each step sending deep vibrations through his body. A huge, concerned faced hung over the wary boy, taking up his entire vision. "Wait! Don't move!" 

The giant's words seemed to have no effect as he dragged himself away from the huge face with his uninjured arm. As much as his body protested, his fear began to overwhelm him as he realized he was stuck in an enormous room with nothing to shield him from this new giant. 

The giant pulled away and raised both hands in acquiescence, taking a step back away from him. "Relax, relax...please. I don't mean you any harm. Honest." 

The giant lowered himself in front of the panting Jonah, who eyed the giant suspiciously. Waking up alone, in a room big enough to house a neighborhood, and in the company of an unfamiliar being, let alone a giant, left one far to vulnerable to relax. 

Very slowly, the giant pointed to an orange insignia. It was two wings, crossed with each other with a sword facing down in the center. "See this? This means I'm a good guy! Really! I'm just here to help." 

Perhaps it was because of the all the craziness that happened earlier, or that his worry for his friend had overridden his own fear, but he couldn't help but ask, "Where is Rachel? And Seron?" 

The new giant seemed to tilt his head in confusion before he perked up, like he had experienced an epiphany. "Oh, you mean that female human? Oh she's fine! Absolutely...okay is what you humans say, right? Yeah, A-Okay!" The giant laughed awkwardly, "Nothing to worry about. She just had a small gash on her head, is all. Nothing a little bit of alcohol and medicine can't fix," the giant's smile returned, "And the lieutenant general, the guy who brought the both of you in, he's just talking with our commander is all. Reports and things, I wouldn't know." 

Jonah took in the information. He didn't know whether to trust it or not; not that it would change anything quite yet. He scrambled backwards as he watched the new giant grab something from under the surface. The giant noted the fearfulness of the boy and very slowly, edged a stool from under the surface he was on. It was then that Jonah realized he was on a table; a table that was several stories high. The new giant in front of him adjusted himself to sit himself in front of the table that held the smaller male. 

Jonah shivered a bit as he watched something,  _someone,_ shift and move so quickly in doing such a mundane action. He waited for him to sit down before asking tumultuously, "Who...are you? Where am I?" 

The giant's eyes widened behind the frames before he covered his mouth in shock. "Ah, I guess the lieutenant general didn't fill you in before you guys got here. Figures...leaving out important factors like, oh let's say, filling newcomers in." 

The giant brought a hand to his chest, "My name is Zelleron Dias Tayenuu, but you can call me just Zel. I am one of the medics of the Vira Deltra Batallion, and, well...you are aboard the Ultron Silver. It's...um, one of the biggest ships of the 11th Viras Colony, er...yeah, kinda neat, huh?"      

Jonah could only stare, his mind trying to process what this giant had just told them. Zel, the name the giant told him, decided to go on. "Listen, I know that this might sound a little weird for a human, which, by the way, you guys are  _muuuuuuuch_  smaller than I expected! Um, not like it's a bad thing or anything, not at all. Just caught me off by surprise. But yeah, so you're in the spare rooms of the sickbay." 

Jonah blinked incredulously as he looked around. Aside from the table underneath him and the stool that Zel was sitting on, the room was extremely bare: as if it were more suited for a supply room. 

He heard a rumbling chuckle, that startled the boy into looking back at Zel, who was sniggering a bit. "Oh, I know what you're thinking. Here, let me show you something." 

The giant did something under the table, and Jonah felt the table thrum under him ever so gently. 

Suddenly, on the walls were glowing outlines that were not there before. After a second, panels began to extend from the walls, before gyroscoping onto the ground. Two, completely white, bed-like capsules came from the walls, suspended in the air. Shelves and cabinets appeared on the far corner, the edges illuminating a bright yellow, somewhat in a way that reminded Jonah of the glow sticks in the middle of the night. There were medical tools, some familiar like a thermometers, ophthalmoscopes, forceps, and syringes; all of which were far to big to be used on him. Then there were an assortment of tools that he had never seen before, whose by there design made it hard to determine it's purpose.  In all corners of the wall, a monitor easily as big as a movie theater screen appeared, the screen completely white aside from the bright orange letters of an alien language displayed on the bottom. 

The room had turned into a fully operational medical facility within a couple seconds. Jonah could only look in awe at how everything seemed so futuristic, almost right out of Star Trek. Except  _much_  bigger. And brighter. And more advanced...ish.  

Looking pleased, the giant grin's widened. "Awesome isn't it? I've been here for a while and I still can't get over just how cool this place is myself. This entire thing can hold up to twenty-something of us at once. So unless there is like some horrible epidemic or everyone on board gets injured, there is always a ton of room to spare!"  

The bespectacled giant's face suddenly turned sour, alarming Jonah out of his amazement. "Speaking of injuries..."  

Jonah watched with some trepidation as the doctor glided his hand on a space on the edge of the table. A light blue screen blinked into existence, ethereal and transparent. Jonah gaped. It was a  _hologram_. An actual hologram. Like the ones right of almost every futuristic show he's ever seen in his life.  

He didn't have as much time to stare at the spectacle when the aforementioned physician asked, "How are you feeling? I examined you while you were still out. Nothing's broken, fortunately, but you seem to have bruised ribs and a dislocated shoulder. I had one of our small drones fix your shoulder since...you know..." The giant laughed nervously as he pointed to himself, "I don't trust myself just yet to do it myself...for obvious reasons." 

Jonah nodded, appreciating the giant's judgement. He could imagine his entire arm snapping between those huge fingers that were as long as he was tall. It was a sobering thought, easily reinstating how much the power difference that was between the them.   

"Just glad Terez didn't do much more than that. That psycho-bastard..." enormous physician hissed, "Attacking a smaller, defenseless person...how heartless can you get? I knew he was all kinds of screwed up, but still that's messed up." 

Jonah's eyes narrowed as the memories of the havoc the blonde giant wreaked at his college, having almost completely tearing through the building he and Rachel were in, doing who knows what to the numerous students that were unfortunately in his path of destruction. Anger began to build up in him, now that he was out of the danger zone. His voice was hoarse when he said, "Yeah...I guess I am lucky."  

"That's an understatement. But yeah," the giant's smile returned once more, "You are lucky." 

For the first time since the incident on campus, Jonah genuinely smiled. This Zel guy seemed pretty nice. Personable even. While he was still ludicrously huge, at least he didn't seem to have any obvious, bad intentions.  

Zel turned around and walked to the wall, where some alien letters were blinking above. He pressed a button, which revealed a small panel which slid up. Jonah couldn't make out what he carefully pinched from inside, Zel's form blocking his view. The giant turned back towards him and walked back to the table. Very slowly, The giant lowered his hand onto the tabletop, fingers parting to reveal what he had acquired. 

Looking positively minuscule among the wrinkles and folds of his hand, was a container of fruit and a couple of water bottles. Apples, grapes, and peaches were in placed within a cylinder while he could recognize the sloshing water in hard plastic. The items that were situated in his palm looked as though they could all fit on one fingertip. Nonetheless, Jonah perked up immensely when he saw the food, his mouth beginning to salivate.  

"By the way, you've been out for about four hours, you know? Aren't you hungry? Thirsty?" The giant asked knowingly, tilting his hand so that everything could roll to his fingertips. 

Jonah had never noticed how hungry he was. Running for his life and remaining out like a light tended to lessen the necessity to eat as a priority. Jonah recalled that in fact, he and Rachel were planning to go to grab a bite after class right before everything happened.  _'Heh...so much for that.'_ He briefly wondered what time it was, there were no windows for him to see any sign of the sun's position. 

Jonah looked up at the giant's eyes, trying to get a read on the giant's mind. The giant seemed to have sensed his trepidation and gave him a gentle smile. "You don't have to worry. I just want to help. I'm no threat to you or your kind." 

Jonah regarded his words and slowly, ready to snap his arm back should it seem that the giant was tricking him, reached for the things with his good hand. He first grabbed the water, snatching it towards him. When the fingers didn't seem to budge, he did the same thing with the fruit. 

Satisfied, the giant withdrew his hand. "Alright. Oh, one of the water bottles and half the fruit in the bag belong to the other human...um, what's her name again?" 

Jonah answered immediately, the thought of seeing his friend, another familiar face, feeling more like a necessity. "Rachel. Her name's Rachel." 

The giant nodded in understanding. "Right, I'll bring her over here. She's probably just as hungry. She only woke up about forty-five minutes before you too. I hope she's calmed down enough now."  
   
 _'Calmed down?'_ Jonah thought, worry etching his features. Before he could inquire more about his friend, Zel was already on his way to the door. With a sore throat, he didn't trust himself to yell across the room without blowing his voice out. 

The automatic doors slid behind the giant, leaving him completely alone in the immense room, nothing but the sounds of engines and the gentle humming of machinery his only company. 

Left to his own devices, he decided to wait until Zel brought Rachel. It wasn't like he was starving, and he felt a bit more secure when eating with someone than by himself. It also gave him more time to reflect on the series of events that took place.  

Apparently, everything pointed to him being on a spaceship. The revelation should have been more earth-shattering, but with everything that had happened, he wasn't as shocked as he should have been. Or rather, some of the other things that had happened weighed more heavily on his mind. 

He went from groaning about his economics class to lying in a bed on top a table for giants in a span of almost a day. It was too insane for all of it to be a dream. He could still remember feeling utterly helpless and scared at being reduced to a plaything between the fingers of the blonde giant, Terez. How he left Wessinger Hall in a decrepit state, as though it had been ravaged by war. ' _Those people...'_ Jonah began to feel sick. All those people, students, teachers, staff...some he even knew from his class. From several of his classes. He knew several people had to have died when the giant went through the building with absolutely no regard for the lives that took their day-to-day classes in there. Hundreds of students, trying to flee... 

Was it his fault? All because of a misunderstanding? That he was mistaken for someone he wasn't? Was this Terez guy going to come back for him? He was beaten, bruised and unconscious when Seron took him here, but not  _dead._ Was Seron even trustworthy? He was in a place that definitely wasn't where was expecting to be. Whose to say that these giants didn't have ulterior motives for bringing him and Rachel here? What if he misjudged them and they were just as bad as the giant that wrecked his school? 

What had they done to Rachel? The last he had seen of Rachel was when they entered that portal. Wherever this...Whatever Silver wasn't really a clue. Was she alright? She had a gash on her head when it all happened. He hoped she wasn't hurt any further. Calmed down? She probably was just as scared as he was. Even if Seron saved both of their lives, he was still massive. According to Zel, this was one of the biggest ships from wherever they were from. And given that everything around seemed more fit for people his and Zel's size, more than likely there were much more giants on board. A lot more. Jonah couldn't wrap his head around it. One giant was more than enough to terrify hundreds of people, let alone a number fit for how many could fit on board. 

He was beginning to develop a headache. The biggest questions still remained at the forefront of his mind: exactly  _what_  were these guys? And what did they want with him? 

They appeared human in nearly every way. At least, without taking into consideration of their size. And what Seron and Terez had done at that time. Their eyes were  _glowing._ Like they were about to shoot eye beams. Also, wings appearing and disappearing right off their backs was also something that wasn't humanly possible. Were these things that only Seron and Terez could do? Were these species wide abilities? What more could they do? What more were they capable of? 

More importantly, why did Seron act as though he knew him? And called him Arum? 

Who the hell was Arum? Did he look so much like whoever this was and got mistaken as him? Then again, by the way Seron spoke to him, it was as though he was completely sure that he was this Arum, guy. Was Arum maybe a title? Was it really a name? 

The doors slid open, knocking Jonah out of his stupefaction. 

Zel was walking through, looking down at something in his cupped hands. Jonah felt himself go numb when he realized that it was none other than Rachel. Even from a distance, he could see her shaking like a leaf, covering her head as though she expected the giant to suddenly crush her. Zel was whispering almost quietly, "It's okay. It's okay." Over and over again. She looked utterly pitiful, curled up in the giant's palm. Guilt sprouted up in him as he watched the giant approach, lowering his hand to the table, several feet away from him. The girl wasted no time to scramble out off his hand and onto the chrome surface. 

"Rachel!" Jonah cried out as he immediately stood up to help the girl to her feet. She clung to him in an instant, as if she were drowning and he was a flotation device. She eyed the giant, as if expecting him to suddenly reveal himself as evil. 

But Zel looked offended by the look of apprehension directed towards him. With his big blue eyes, looking a bit hurt, Jonah was given the distinct impression of the look of a kicked puppy, except with each eye the size of a television. He took a step back away from the two humans on the table. "I'll, uh, I'll be talking with my superiors. If you two need anything, just holler. This room, has transmitters everywhere, I'll be able to hear you." 

Zel turned around, but not without giving the two one last look of worriment before letting out a sigh and walking between the doors, leaving the two on the table. 

The tension floating through the atmosphere was thick. Jonah situated himself on one end of the berth while Rachel was on the other end. She had a bandaged wrapped around her head, with the faintest blood splotch visible from his position. 

She looked drained. Both physically and emotionally. Her normally cheerful eyes were downcast, focused to her feet, but seemingly only looking at oblivion. Her hands were clasped together on her lap.  Her normally neat hair was strewn in several directions. 

_'Crap...'_ Was all Jonah could think. She wasn't taking the situation well at all. At least he was able to somehow gather just enough courage to speak up and ask questions. She, on the other hand, was terrified beyond all belief. 

What could he say? Should he apologize? It was his idea to go along with that giant Seron in the first place. Then again, their options were severely limited, given their circumstances. Still, if it would make her feel better... 

"Look Rach," he began, the unease in his voice palpable, "I...I'm sorry. I did say we should go with that giant and all." He forced himself to look at her in the eye. "Did...did they hurt you? While I was out? While you were wherever you were?" 

She looked at him straight in the eye for a moment before looking back down. She shook her head slowly. 

Jonah's frown deepened at the nonvocal response. "I see they fixed you up too. But doesn't seem like you needed much, right?" 

Again, the blonde girl didn't speak, only nodding her head once. 

Jonah looked down. He was at a lost at what to do. Rachel had every right to mull over everything that transpired but he could feel the rift growing between them as they sat in the deafening silence. His eyes fell on the bag of fruits and bottles of water that Zel brought to them. He grabbed the water bottle first and offered it to her. Her eyes fell on the bottle before looking up at him, puzzled. 

She shook the bottle a bit. "Here. I know you're thirsty. And hungry too. Neither of us had anything to eat in a while. I know you're hungry." 

Rachel stared him in the eye before looking at the bottle in his hand. She nodded before taking it from his hand. She didn't open the cap to take a drink, however. She kept it held between her hands, her eyes refocusing to the floor. 

Jonah felt his heart break as his friend's lack of response. It seemed that nothing he could say or do would make a difference. Even he didn't know what these giants would bring. 

The two sat in silence, neither moving to do anything. It was a couple minutes later when he heard Rachel speak.

"I saw Noel die." 

Jonah looked up, eyes wide and mouth agape. Noel was a close friend of Rachel, a longtime buddy that she knew before she knew him. A classmate and childhood friend, they had spent a lot of time together. They even shared the same major. For those very words to come out of her mouth, cold and impassive, startled him. 

She went on. "When we were trying to get out of Wessinger, a part of the ceiling fell on her. That guy got me out of the way just in time. But..." her head dipped lower, "it all caved in on top of her. She was literally right in front of me. I don't think she even knew I was right behind her." 

Jonah was in shock. While he never knew Noel well enough to even consider her his friend, he was still deeply shaken by the news that someone he knew had died in such a manner. Someone that was the same age, with ambitions and dreams that hadn't come into full fruition yet; someone with their whole life ahead of them. 

His appetite had disappeared, as he stared at the bag of fresh fruit, bright and cheerful looking in contrast to the saddened college students. 

_'Damn it all...'_ Jonah thought, biting his tongue to prevent him from saying it out loud, 

The doors suddenly whisked open. The two of them looked up, expecting to see the giant known as Zel.

He was there, looking very concerned. As well as Seron, his face full of consternation. And another giant, taller than both of them, enough to rival that blonde giant's, Terez's, height. 

This new giant looked considerably older than both Seron and Zel, looking to be around his late fifties or so, with a broad face and build. His black hair was slicked back, with the few areas of white sticking out from the sides. His eyes were heavy shade of dark blue, nearly black. He wore a similar outfit to what Seron was wearing, except longer and more regal looking. There were numerous badges on both shoulder, an obvious sign of a well-worn veteran. 

The new giant's hard eyes landed on the two humans on the table immediately. Jonah watched as the giant got closer, growing bigger the closer he got...and bigger...and bigger. 

Rachel cowered under those eyes as Jonah took a few steps back from the approaching giant, shielding Rachel to the best of his ability. Which, given the differences in size and his physical state, didn't amount to much. 

The giant glanced very briefly at the frightened blonde, who cringed at their coldness, before his attention went straight to Jonah, who felt like a fly about to be swatted at a moment's notice. 

The new giant's asked, in a cold, baritone voice, "You are the one called Jonah, I presume?" 

The giant's voice was like thunder; he felt the table rumble from under his feet. Jonah could only manage a very slow nod, expecting the imposing giant to go berserk out of nowhere. 

"I am Commander Regis of the Vira Deltra Battalion and Captain of the Ultron Silver Starship." The giant told them, his voice booming. Authority radiated from him. "From what Seron has told me, you've been attacked by a Traxian called Terez, correct?" 

Jonah quickly nodded. The voice sounded almost contemptuous. Or perhaps it seemed that way from the sheer intimidating aura surrounding him. It was like a building leaning over him.

The giant's eyes narrowed into slits. Jonah feared that the giant was going to crush him on the spot. 

Instead of smashing the boy into a pulp, he spoke. His tone hard and grave.  

"We need to talk.  _Now."_


	6. Chapter 4: Paradigm Shift

Daniel Michaels was speeding on the highway, going around 75 miles per hour, easily well over the speed limit. Swerving through lanes like a madman, he could hear the aggravated, panicked honks and screeches as cars were forced to jolt and make way for the speeding, red Volkswagen.   
  
Smoking was a habit he had since his father introduced it to him at age sixteen. But he had never gone through as many cigarettes in a span of a few hours as he had since his younger days. He had already burned through a pack earlier. His first wife had convinced him to stop, but he couldn't shake off the cloud of dread that loomed over him, as if lightning were about to strike. The nicotine did very little to help, but it was something.   
  
It had been only three hours since he heard about a disaster happening at his son's college. There was no way he could believe what he had heard on the radio when he had been cruising along the countryside after getting off of work.   
  
 _"Springfield has been declared to be in a state of emergency after what can be described as none other than impossible took place only half an hour ago._ _At around noon, Corona College was attacked by reports say was none other than_ _a giant. Police and SWAT teams have been dispatched to aid in recovery and evacuation of all students and personnel around the college-town area. We have not been given official reports of casualties or injuries yet, but we do believe they will release reports once we have clearance."  
  
_ The 45-year-old man couldn't believe what he had been hearing. A  _giant?_  Not some hurricane disaster or a large scale criminal activity, but a  _giant?_  Attacking the very college his only son went to? Was this some kind of terrible joke?   
  
Unfortunately, it wasn't April Fools. And the notion a school being attacked seemed to be far too ludicrous for it to be a joke. There was no humor in it, and from the tone of the reporter's voice from the radio, there wasn't meant to be.   
  
He had called his son only a few minutes ago. He didn't pick up, not for the first time since earlier that month. Not that he had expected to.   
  
Regret that he had never felt before overwhelmed him.   
  
 _"I don't even think he's my original son anymore!"  
  
_ What the hell drove him to say something like that?  Something so damaging. So terrible.   
  
So unforgivable.   
  
He didn't mean it like that at all. But he took off before he got the chance to explain himself.   
  
And Jonah wouldn't hear a word of it. Not now. Probably not ever.   
  
"Damn," he swore, his voice anchored with sorrow, "I'm the worst father...ever."  
  
He fought the urge to pluck another cigarette as he was forced to slow down, lest he crash into the car in front of him.   
  
His wife, Annabelle, was about two hours behind him, having to have gone to a business conference a little further south. She sounded nearly hysterical when he called her. Probably witnessing hearing the spectacle on television, while he had a radio with way to see what she had seen on the screen aside from his own imagination at the time being.    
  
He had to be okay. He  _absolutely_  had to.   
  
He couldn't to lose his one and only child.   
  
A bright orange light knocked him out of his thoughts. He quickly mashed the breaks as the car in front of him halted so suddenly, he was merely inches away from tailgating it.   
  
He took in deep breaths, heart racing from the near collision, as he looked around.   
  
In front of him, were lines of cars as far as the eye could see. More catching, were the array of emergency flares surrounding both sides of the highway, trailing down the roads. There were people getting out of their cars to also see what was going on. The person in front of him, a raven-haired woman around her late to early thirties he presumed, came out from from the car, with the head of a worried-looking, golden retriever sticking out from the doorway.    
  
That was when Daniel could make out someone coming down the gaps between cars, dressed in full army fatigues. A soldier walked towards her, and said something. The woman nodded and went back into her car.   
  
Daniel rolled down his windows and stuck his head out. "Hey! What's going on! I have to get somewhere!"   
  
The soldier, tall and stony, walked towards him and bent down to talk to him. "Sir, this road is closed. No civilian traffic will be allowed to enter the city of Springfield until the threat has been properly contained."   
  
Daniel smacked his hand against the car-door. "My  _son_  is in the Springs, dammit! I heard the news! He goes to that college! Let me through!" He yelled, his eyes flashing angrily at the soldier, whose stoic eyes seemed to have widened a bit from the revelation.   
  
"My apologies sir," the soldier said, the smallest hint of sincerity in his voice, "but non-military traffic of any kind are not permitted to enter the city until further measures have been taken care of."   
  
"You've got to be  _shittin'_  me! My son could be dead for as long as who knows and you won't let me in?" He hollered, loud enough for the other drivers and passengers to look his direction. He took a deep breath as he looked the man in the eye, "Sir. You have to let me in. I'll walk it if I have to, but please, I need to get my kid. I have to know if he's okay."   
  
The man didn't budge, he merely gave a simple shake of the head and repeated: "Non-military traffic are not to enter Springfield."    
  
Daniel began to grind his teeth. There was no way he was going to just sit back and wait for only God knows how long for when the streets would clear enough for him to drive to Corona. Time was too precious, and he felt he had little of it. He swiftly swung his door open, knocking the soldier back a bit, before running through the gaps of cars.   
  
He didn't get far though when the soldier sprung up behind him, grabbing him by his arms and pushed him to the ground.   
  
Daniel grunted as he felt his chest hit the hard asphalt, knocking the wind out of him. He was a fairly average sized man with an average build, working with computers for the most part; absolutely no match for someone with military training under their belt. He struggled as the soldier had him pinned to the ground, writhing with all his might. "Let me go! Now! I have to see my son! I have to see Jonah!"   
  
Suddenly, blaring from radio on the soldier's chest pocket, was a a masculine voice that announced, "To all military personnel, we have successfully contained the threat. I repeat, the threat has been successfully contained."   
  
Looking up as much as his neck would permit, from such an angle, he saw the face of the soldier, who looked quite shocked.   
  
The two stared at each other, surrounded by the sudden silence around them.   
  


\----- 

Even though it seemed Seron was being as careful as possible with his charge literally in hand, Jonah couldn't help but feel more than a little afraid as he walked down the stretch of metal corridors easily tall and wide enough to encompass a skyscraper in the spaces. Despite his steps being slow and deliberate, the boy was tussled a bit from his movements. 

The two giants were like walking monuments, as he could hear their heavy footsteps on the metal floor far below, clanging loudly in his ears. No words were exchanged, leaving Jonah to remain to his thoughts.   

Commander Regis didn't even glance in his direction as they made their way through what seemed like a mile-long hallway. Not that he didn't mind, as the giant's gaze was intense enough to send shivers down his spine. It was bad enough that he had no clue what he wanted from him. 

Rachel had been left in the medical bay, with Zel. He felt a lot more vulnerable by himself with two giants. Then again, left with one giant must be just as scary to he surmised. Zel may have came off as kind, but how much could you trust someone who he just met minutes ago and who was big enough to court the Statue of Liberty? 

_'Taking liberties with Lady Liberty,'_ Jonah thought, imagining the lady in green and the medic walking through a park. It came out more frightening and humorous once he factored the possibility of one of the giants being in neat vicinity of where he lived.  _Yikes..._

It was only a few seconds later when  they arrived at a chrome door at the end of the hallway. Commander Regis stepped forward and waved his hand over a panel on the side. A series of alien characters blinked into life on the glass. He watched as the commander pressed several of them so quickly, there would be no way he'd memorize them even if he could read them. There was a sound of confirmation as the chrome doors parted. 

The room was exactly how he would imagine a spaceship's command center would be. At least, from all the sci-fi shows he's seen. Aside from the fact it was far to spacious to seem like it was indoors, and the fact that it was an  _alien's_ spaceship. There were a series of steel metal desks affixed to walls, with a series of holographic screens floating around at each desk. There was a lower level with about five steps below, with more desks, more holograms, and a large table to sit in the center. He could make out floating, rotating spires surrounding an area near a huge window. 

Where he saw his biggest surprise: that he could view the Earth from above the Thermosphere.  

He felt his jaw drop when he saw the sight of the blue aura of his planet, radiating from the window in all it's glory. 

It was so many things he couldn't even voice. Surreal. Beautiful. Awe-inducing. Unreal. 

He was pulled from his gaze when he felt Seron move into the room behind the enormous man who called himself Commander Regis. They went walked through the middle, walking down the steps (which jostled him, despite Seron's apparent efforts), and went to the round table that was more than wide enough for his house and several more to be established on. 

Jonah felt the swirl of vertigo as Seron lowered his hand to the table, fingers and palm flattened. Jonah, with very little grace, crawled off of his hand before getting to his feet. The hand he was just on returned to it's owner's side, as Jonah took took a few steps back from the two giants that stared down at him. While their intentions didn't seem hostile, being the center of attention of freakishly, large beings was enough to intimidate him. 

The two beings took a seat. Even sitting, Jonah noticed, they were still living walls in their own right. 

The older giant pinned him with a look, lips locked into a formidable scowl. 

"Seron has told me that you have been mistaken for Arum." He said, his tone lacking infliction, "But you claim to be Jonah." 

The boy gulped. Being under scrutiny of two pairs of giant eyes were just as bad as being being scrutinized by a stadium full. Maybe worse. 

"Y-yeah...I'm J-Jonah. Not Arum. I...I don't even know who this  _Arum_  person is." 

Commander Regis's eyes narrowed, causing Jonah to flinch. He tilted his head in Seron's direction. "Seron claims that you are Arum, however. And Seron wouldn't lie." 

Jonah took another step back before shaking his head vigorously. "There m-must be a mistake. My name...i-it's Jonah M-Michaels. I'm n-nineteen y-y-years old. I go to C-Corona College in Springfield. I honestly have n-n-never heard the name Arum before in my l-life!" He replied, desperation creeping into his voice. Never would he think he'd have to defend himself of his own identity. Especially in front of two gigantic aliens. He took another gulp, feeling himself warm up under the bright lights high above and the sheer nervousness of being interrogated by two giants. Well...one, so far, Seron hadn't said anything. Still... 

Commander Regis glanced pensively to Seron, who merely nodded before looking back down to the boy. To his amazement, his expression softened a bit. 

"I see..." the large, weathered-looking man said, as if conceding something. 

There was a pause before Commander Regis spoke. "Jonah, are you aware of anything regarding something called the Grand Centurion's Key in your language? Anything whatsoever?" 

Jonah was taken aback from the Commander's gentler tone before shaking his head. "Seron asked th-the same question. I've n-never heard of anything like that." 

Commander Regis's mouth parted slightly. "So I've heard." 

Suddenly, Commander Regis stood up his chair. The suddenness of such a mundane action on such a different scale caused Jonah to cry out and clumsily back up. Commander Regis took notice but merely paused before walking towards two of the floating spires near the window. He pressed a few buttons on the side of one of them, and within an instant, they glowed brightly before focusing a beam in the center between them. Jonah was forced to shield his eyes from a onslaught of visionary abuse, something he had been experiencing far too much in the day alone. As well as other things. 

The light died down as quickly as it came. He removed his hand from his face and saw what stood between the spires. 

There was another giant. A bit shorter than Seron, but taller than Zel by a few feet. His hair was red and messy. Even more distinctive was his eyes, which were a bright crimson, something that definitely scream otherworldly-ness. A mischievous grinned was plastered on his face, unwavering. He was dressed in the exact same attire that Seron was wearing. 

The giant didn't move a muscle, his eyes still facing forward even as Jonah stared at it abjectly. It actually took a second for him to realize he was looking at another hologram. Granted, this one was significantly less obvious and far more elaborate.  

"This," Commander Regis said, gesturing to the hologram between the four spires, "...is Arum. He is one of our most powerful soldiers at our disposal..." Commander Regis suddenly darkened, "And he suddenly disappeared approximately twelve years ago." 

Jonah nodded, while staring at the hologram. How in the world had he been mistaken for a redheaded, red-eyed soldier was beyond him. 

"Also, twelve years ago..." Commander Regis went on, "The Grand Centurion's Key also vanished from right under our noses. Arum was confirmed to be the one who last knew its whereabouts." 

Now things were starting to make a bit more sense. Sort of. Well...a small bit. So, this Arum guy made off with this item that seemed to be some sort of high importance to them. With a name like the Grand Centurion Key, he imagined it to be something to unlock doors to some hidden treasure planet or something. Then again, there was no way it would be that simple if that were the case. 

"U-um..." Jonah stuttered a bit, "Wh-what exactly is this Centurion Key thing anyway? I mean...is it an actual key?" 

Seron was quick to answer. "In the sense of a key to unlock something, not quite." 

The hologram of Arum began to morph, the human shape collapsing in on itself and becoming a sphere. Details materialized around the sphere. Intricate markings appeared as the sphere formed something reminiscent of a globe, minus the continents and ocean and instead replaced with something akin to Saturn's rings with a golden hue. There were silver markings on both the top and bottom, and even brighter disks appearing around the mid-section of the ball. 

Commander Regis looked on as Seron continued. "The Centurion Key is its most common title. But it is something much more...complicated." 

Jonah tilted his head in curiosity. Seron elaborated. "It's an ancient device created tens of thousands of years ago. We don't know who...or what created it. Only that it originated from one of our colonies in the Andromeda galaxy. And..." Seron said, turning his gaze from the human on the table to the bright hologram of the aforementioned object, "...It's one of the most powerful devices in existence." 

_'Woah...'_ Now it really was beginning to feel like a sci-fi movie. 

His curiosity was beginning to drown out his fear, as he too stared at the hologram. "Earlier...y-you said that is was called the World Stabilizer or something or other. What d-does that mean?" 

"In theory, it is said to be able to control or alter planetary functions at full potential. It is also capable of granting powerful abilities according to the will of whoever holds it." 

"You mean like, someone could actually...like, rule or create new planets?" 

Seron's eyes glanced briefly to the human on the table before looking back, almost longingly, at the floating three-dimensional image. "In essence, yes. But not anymore." 

Something went off in Jonah's head "Huh?" 

The hologram began to blink, but instead of the hologram changing shape, a sheen of light went down the sphere. 

The golden orb had changed drastically. It looked rusted, lacking the luster it did before. The rings that were around had completely disappeared. It was dented everywhere, giving it a look between the moon and a golfball.

Seron's voice was low as he spoke. "It's power has been abused and overtaxed. Despite its abilities, it still had its limits." 

That statement actually raised more questions than answers. "If it's been used up, then why are you still looking for it?" 

Commander Regis, who had remained silent during the exchange between the two, replied, his voice reverberating. "That's because it hasn't been  _completely_  used up." 

The hologram instantly vanished as Commander Regis came towards the table, his steps shaking the table he stood on. Jonah tilted his head up to look at the giant man in the face. While still a bit afraid, without obvious intentions of them causing any harm to him, he forced himself to ignore his instincts to run as the incoming colossus spoke. "We still surmise that it retains enough power to at least aid in the restoration of our homeworld." 

_'Ah...'_ It was all beginning to make sense now. So...there world was...destroyed? Ruined? From a statement like that, plus the fact that they were looking for something so powerful enough to make worlds, there had to be no other explanation. It didn't take long for Jonah to put two and two together. "So...y-you think it's on Earth? I mean, both this Arum guy and the key?" 

Both giants nodded. 

Seron spoke, looking out the enormous window at the planet below. "About ten years ago, we found a powerful energy signature coming from your planet. Also, according to our resources, this was where Arum's ship's emergency signal was last detected." 

"We've kept your planet under close observation for any more leads for about a decade. So far, it was nearly impossible to track down the exact location of either Arum or the Centurion's Key. At least..." 

Seron's eyes met Jonah's, "Until one month ago." 

One month ago...That was when Jonah overheard his parents fighting. But that had to be mere coincidence. Speaking of... 

"Wait, hold on. I get what you're saying but, where do  _I_  come in, in all this? I mean. I've been mistaken for Arum, not by only you guys, but by that Terez guy that attacked my college!" 

Jonah suddenly regretted speaking up with such vice as the two giants looked down to him. Maybe it was the fact that he was plucked up into outer space without warning after everything that happened. The faint throb of pain emanating from his ribs warned him not to strain his voice like that anytime soon. 

Commander Regis scowled. 

_Crap..._

__Instead of an impending fist of death he was expecting, Commander Regis walked back to the spires and pressed a series of buttons. Nine floating, holographic screens came to life between each spire.

He recognized what was coming on the screens immediately. 

There were different newscasters on each screen. Each as excitable as the other. Their voices overlapped with one another, all of them speaking in different American accents, with faces either wide in excitement or contorted in fear. 

Most clearly, he could make out the voice of one of the newscasters of a middle-aged man whose deep, clear voice cut through the other news feeds like a sword. 

_"We have received word from the National Guard that the giant that attacked Corona College of Springfield, resulting in twenty three deaths and dozens injured in those of Wessinger Hall at noon today, has been successfully captured and is currently under heavy sedation."_

The middle hologram grew larger, and scene shifted. Jonah gasped at what he saw. 

Terez was still in the crater that both Seron had pile-drived him in during their battle. Unconscious and unmoving. However, now he was tied down by countless metal coils around his body. Particularly his limbs. There were also people, soldiers Jonah deduced, walking all over him, either securing the bonds around him while hooking up what looked like wires and I.V.'s around the wrist area, as well as his neck. There were several military caravans surrounding him, with even more soldiers on board, and a series of tents to the opposite side, right outside the crater. 

It looked like a scene right out of a modern day Gulliver. Minus the hair tying.

Jonah didn't know how to feel about the situation. While he was glad that it looked the one responsible for some of the deaths and destruction at his college was in binds, from what he witnessed from the battle between them, Terez probably was more than strong enough to rip them off without an effort. At least, he seemed like it. Then again, just seeing the face of one who was capable of much destruction, awake or unconscious, was enough to unnerve the nineteen-year-old. 

Twenty three deaths...twenty three students and staff killed out of nowhere midday Friday. All because of the giant that lay there. 

A spark of anger rose above the cluster of fear, shock, and pain. 

_"The giant, approximately measured to be 148 feet, was placed into military custody five minutes ago and will be under heavy surveillance and monitoring until relocation will be made possible. We have no information as to where he has originated from, or any links to any underground military activity from the United States or from other nations. The military still has unauthorized all civilian traffic to enter Springfield until further information has been released."_

__The newscaster went on, but Jonah's attention was diverted when it went mute.

"Terez," the older giant said contemptuously, "By attacking your college has compromised our position." 

The spite in his voice made Jonah want to look around for a way off the table. A table higher than his dormitory complex. However, he realized soon enough that the anger wasn't directed towards him whatsoever. "The fool..." 

"Terez is from one of the colonies that was responsible for the destruction of our homeworld." 

Jonah  _really_  didn't like where this was going. 

The dread on Seron's face intensified as he glared at the screen. "The situation is...complicated. He is from one of the opposing colonies that planned to recreate our homeworld, starting with already inhabited planets. With his capture, more than likely more from his colony will come in droves...straight to..." 

Seron pointed to the window.Jonah didn't need any more explanation than that. 

Earth, with the alleged ball of power thought to be there, would be... 

He couldn't bring himself to imagine. One giant had been able to effortlessly threaten the lives of hundreds at his college. To imagine anything more in great quantities and what they could do to his planet made him queasy. 

Seron lowered his hand. "If the Grand Centurion Key remains here, while both our colony and the Siras Colony are in search of it, your planet  _will_  be put at stake and if worse comes to worse..." Seron's eyes narrowed, his mouth forming a grim frown, "It may become the next battleground unless you can cooperate with us." 

Jonah's heart leaped into his throat. 

_'Woah, woah woah...'_

"Waitaminute! Hold up!" Jonah yelled, waving his uninjured arm. He began to feel incredibly sick. How the hell...What the hell...? 

"So, I'm confused. I get that Earth is in great peril and all that shit, but..." He paused. "Where do  _I_  come in?" 

There was a long silence between the giants and the humans on the desk. Suddenly, Seron's eyes glowed brightly, basking Jonah in its light. 

"That's the thing. The energy signature... _Arum's_  energy signature is coming from  _you."_


	7. Chapter 5: Necessity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Implied death ahead.

It took a moment for Jonah to register what Seron had just said. After a few seconds, he asked. "Come again?"   
  
"You have Arum's exact energy signature." Seron repeated, the light in his eyes dying down considerably, like a modem that had been unplugged. "Or rather, Arum's energy signature is radiating from you."   
  
Jonah was silent for a moment. He thought back to the red-headed giant. The huge, looks-absolutely-nothing-like-him, giant that was said to have gone missing over a decade ago. There had to be a mistake. "But...I look nothing like him."   
  
Seron nodded, eyes narrowing ever so slightly. "Arum has many abilities, and has been in many situations in which his appearance has undergone drastic changes. However, this truly is a predicament. Which is why we are trying to get to the bottom of this."   
  
Seron leaned in slightly, causing Jonah to flinch. His eyes softened as he asked, "We do not mean to bring your identity into question, but are you sure that you are indeed Jonah Michaels?"   
  
"Of course!" Jonah snapped. He immediately regretted it, once he remembered his audience. The two giants didn't seem phased by his outburst, however, and merely regarded the human on the table.   
  
"...I see." Seron replied simply, before turning to the older giant. "Nonetheless, as long as Arum's energy signature is in your body, the Siras Colony will more than likely send out more of their scouts and troops to search for you." His frown grew more severe. "And with Terez's capture, discretion is no longer one of their priorities. And that's why..." Seron said, his eyes set on the teenager in front of him. "...we need your cooperation."   
  
Jonah was dumbfounded for the briefest of moments, before asking a quiet, "What?"   
  
"We need your help. You may not be Arum, but with his energy signature, we may be able to track him down, if not, we could at least get an idea of where the Key is. Also..." Seron's mouth quirked into the tiniest of smiles. "With his energy signature, we suspect that you may have some of his abilities. We won't know until we manage to investigate this matter even further."   
  
"His abilities? Like what?" Jonah asked, truly skeptical of the prospect of having powers. Than again, being mistaken for a giant alien was also something just as unbelievable. "And exactly, what is so special about this Arum guy besides the Key thing."   
  
Seron looked as though he was hesitant to answer for a moment, looking down for the briefest of moments before returning eye contact. After a few seconds of silence, he spoke.   
  
"Arum...and I, were both artificially created to be super-soldiers, as humans call it. We were both created specifically to fight in this war."   
  
Jonah nodded slowly, feeling a bit sickened. The idea of being created of being born into fighting seemed more than a bit fascist to him.  _'Kind of like a robot...are they cyborgs or something?'  
  
_ Seron went on, lifting his hand up, clenching it experimentally. "From what I understand, your species are just initializing the use of nanotechnology, correct?"   
  
Jonah nodded. While he didn't know the specifics of the concept, he watched enough shows and movies to get an idea. "Sort of."   
  
"Our species have been using this technology for thousands of years, however, our technological advances have been allocated towards war efforts since the destruction of our planet. Both Arum and I are two of many soldiers specifically imbued with nano-machines since our creation. It's become common practice for many soldiers to be implanted with nano-machines, but both he and I were given it since conception," he put his hand in front of Jonah, who took a few steps back. Suddenly, something began to form in his palm, as several crystals materialized out of his fingertips, going towards the center of his palm. Jonah watched with complete awe as the crystals began to form a conglomeration of larger, silver-like crystals.  Just as they all began to congeal, Seron slowly closed his hand into a fist, before opening it a split second later. His hand was empty, with no sign of any of the crystals being on it. Like magic.   
  
Jonah's amazement was more than evident, as he stepped closer to Seron's hand, inches away from his trunk-sized fingers. "That's unbelievable...can all of you soldiers do that? I mean, those with nano-machines?"  
  
Seron shook his head "Those who haven't been imbued from creation with nano-machines must learn how to utilize it with more focus. Their bodies have reached a point in which they have managed for nano-machines to be more of an accessory instead of it being apart of them." Seron, aware of Jonah's proximity to his hand, very slowly made a fist before opening it. On his fingertip, nearly imperceptible to him, was a crystal the size of an egg. "However, in the cases of Arum and I, nanotechnology has infused itself into our DNA, as you humans would call it. It cannot be removed from us. We have complete control over it and any shape it takes. It is literally apart of us in every way."   
  
"I...I think I follow. But...why? I understand you guys said you were made for the war and all, but what does this have to do with Arum having the Key? And why he is so important?"   
  
Seron lowered his forefinger, where the crystal laid. It then occurred to him that Seron was offering the gem to him. He took it from his finger, aware of the sheer size of the appendage was. It was hard to imagine he was literally having a conversation with someone well over twenty times his size. At six feet, Jonah had always considered himself to be tall, but Seron's finger, from the knuckle to tip, was longer than he was tall. And to imagine that there were bigger giants, such as Commander Regis who was observing the interaction between the two in silence, and Terez who stood taller than Seron by half a head, made him feel so insignificant.    
  
"The Key is...volatile, so to speak." Seron said, withdrawing his hand. "Most people wouldn't be able to handle it without being scorched. And the conditions to maintain it require the ability to sync with it."   
  
"Sync with it? Like a computer? Does that mean he can use it?"   
  
"We aren't entirely sure. That's why we need to find him, to see if he can. As well as find the whereabouts of the Key."   
  
"Hence why you are here." Commander Regis's baritone voice immediately caused Jonah to flinch. "If we can confirm that you have Arum's capabilities, than you might be able to aid us in locating Arum or the Grand Centurion's Key."   
  
Jonah looked down at his feet. He almost forgot how sore his body was, the adrenaline rush from the scare he suffered earlier having long worn off. The thought of working with these terrifyingly huge aliens to help fight even more terrifyingly huge aliens was unfathomable. Something that he couldn't imagine doing. Had he not experienced everything firsthand, the notion of allying himself with extremely advanced aliens would have made him laugh incredulously. He had been roped into something beyond him, something too dangerous. And, more than anything else, he didn't even know how any of this happened.   
  
He wouldn't...he couldn't...   
  
It seemed that Commander Regis was able to sense his growing hesitation, as Jonah quickly noticed the look on his face had darkened. Commander Regis stood tall, his torso a massive wall of man, engulfing the startled boy in his shadow.   
  
"In case you are having second thoughts, let me make something very clear," Commander Regis said, his voice low yet booming, "You may not be Arum, but so long as you have his energy signature, you  _will_  still be a target. And so long as that is the case,  _you_  and your  _entire species_ will be in danger of attack at any moment until we find the Key. "  
  
Jonah's mouth hung open. While he had an idea of that being a possibility, to hear it coming from the titan before him made his stomach botto out.  
  
"The Siras Colony is relentless. They  _will_  attack, without any inhibitions or mercy. We've observed you humans for a decade." The older giant's eyes bore down into the young man, as if establishing themselves in them. "Your technology in relation to that of our species are archaic and obsolete. Your military will not be able to withstand an onslaught from the Siras Colony should they choose to attack. And let's not forget..." the burly giant glanced at the holographic screen, where the aforementioned giant remained sedated, "Terez was just a mere soldier of the Siras Colony, sent with the mere objective to  _retrieve_  you. Do you truly think that your military could fight entire fleets of members of our species with the collective goal of  _annihilating_  your forces? Do you think that the major cities of your planet would come out of this incident unscathed?"   
  
Jonah's mouth went dry. He couldn't answer. He didn't  _need_  to answer.  
  
"If the Siras Colony have their way, your entire species would be eradicated within  _weeks_." Commander Regis stated almost casually. "The only reason they haven't launched a full scale attack on your planet and taken over is because they don't know its exact location, and don't want to risk destroying it. If we find it first, we will be able to lead them away from your planet, and turn the tides of this war in our favor. Even if you don't have his abilities, so long as they sense you as Arum, with you on board we may still be able to throw them off track until we have better countermeasures. Do you understand, boy?"   
  
Jonah took in deep breaths. He couldn't stop shaking. He wanted to really run, but knew he couldn't. Both physically and figuratively. The giant made things far too clear for him. Whether he liked it or not, he was already in for it. The circumstances were too great for him to say no to. In fact, behind the formalities and run down of the situation, Commander Regis had made something very clear:   
  
He didn't really have a choice in the matter.

  
\----- 

Bill Reeves had been just finished fixing the engine in his rusty, aging truck. He wiped his brow with one hand as he closed the hood with the other. Marigold still looked worse for wear, what with being a mechanical, seasoned veteran of the road for all of twenty-two years. But she really held tight through the years of storm, rain, and hail. And nothing more than a little maintenance was needed to get her running. Especially for when he would drive a couple states down to bring gifts down to his daughter.

It had been a quite a week. With the news he received on Tuesday that he was finally going to be a grandparent, he'd been more chipper for the days that came after. Rather than just call or leave a message, his daughter and son-in-law had came that afternoon just to tell him. Just the thought that his little girl, his only child, was now already married with a child on the way. Never in his life had he felt so proud. 

If only Charlotte could have seen her now. 

He stretched, he could hear his bones popping and creaking. He was getting up there. Dusting off his flannel shirt, the man walked out of the garage to get some crisp, night air. A breather away from the gas and oils that left it's mark in the interior of his garage over the years. He walked to his porch, taking a seat in a rocking chair. He leaned back, taking a look up into the night sky. The sight of the stars were a luxury to see in his small, countryside town. Something he wouldn't trade for any large city in the world. 

He just stared at the sky, rocking back and forth as his eyes began to grow weary. He let out a tired sigh as he laced his fingers together over his round stomach, ready to fall asleep. 

Just when he was about to close his eyes for a well-earned nap, a bright, searing light flashed all around him. 

He cried out as he was forced to shield his eyes from the brightness. 

The light dimmed down in milliseconds. His eyes needed to adjust once more. 

Now fully awake, he stood up from his chair at an impressive speed, and frantically looked around for what had just caused... _whatever_ what just happened. 

He gasped, lips quivering. 

In the sky, where he had been just looking to admire the celestial bodies, was an enormous white vortex that swirled high above the trees in front of his home.   

The elderly man could only watch in absolute shock at the gyre of whiteness hung high in air; it was massive, wide, and nothing like he had seen before in his sixty-three years of living. 

Suddenly, something enormous fell from the mass of white. Another equally large figure fell from it. There were two loud  _booms_ as he heard the sound of splintering wood and falling trees. The ground under him shuddered as the gigantic dark figures began to rise up, standing at the very  _least_  ten stories tall, taller than any building in a twenty mile vicinity. 

Bill immediately realized that they were most definitely  _not_ buildings when he saw one of the figures turn in his direction, green eyes glowing just as bright as any of the stars, locking onto him. 

It was when he saw that first figure take a step towards him from the groves of trees that he ran inside his one-story home to grab his phone. 

He almost tripped up the step that separated his living room and kitchen; he could feel the booming footsteps of whatever that gigantic monstrosity was rocked the house. He managed to catch himself as he ran towards the phone that was situated next to the kitchen television and his picture of his deceased wife. The tremors grew more forceful and violent; a few vases and mechanical paraphernalia falling to the floor. His heart churned in his chest as he clasped the phone in hand. 

He only managed to press nine as the house rocked upwards, calling him to fall to the ground. 

He managed to roll onto his back just in time to see his roof lift up into the sky, and a giant, surprising human like face look down on him from on high, eyes glowing brightly. 

Bill was in too much shock to even move, or even scream for that matter. Not for the first time did he wish he had neighbors that lived closer. The face, bigger than the entire kitchen, looked somewhat amused, as if enjoying the sight of the cowering, elderly man before him. The enormous head that hovered above him had jet-black hair that hung down like drapes, and while he couldn't make out his entire body, he could see some scars rising from his neck under the collar of his billowing jacket. 

Bill let out a trembling gasp as the giant lifted his face away to reach down towards him. He shielded himself uselessly as the enormous fingers wrapped around him, leaving only his head and shoulders above the first before he felt himself rise high into the air. As he rose higher and higher, he saw the other giant watch from a distance, his face unreadable. 

Just as Bill found voice, the giant said. "Don't scream." 

Bill didn't know if it was the tone of his voice or the volume that caused his mouth to immediately seal itself. The giant scrutinized him for a second, as if expecting for him to say something, but when it was evident that the man wasn't, he sneered.

"I'm going to ask you several questions. If you don't want to do a skydiving stunt without a parachute, answer them truthfully and fully. Do you understand?" 

Bill nodded, too afraid to even think of refusing. 

"Good. Now then, is this the town called Lorettsville?" 

Bill nodded again, beginning to feel himself sweat in the hot grasp he was trapped in. The giant frowned and Bill immediately feared the worse. 

"Speak." 

Bill gulped as he quietly answered, "Y-yes." 

To his amazement the giant heard him. "Good. Now then, how many people live here?" 

"U-um..." Bill began wheeze a bit as he felt the hand tighten ever so slightly. "I-I think about...eight or n-nine hundred...s-sir." Bill added the honorific at the end, in hopes that a small sacrifice in pride would ensure his own safety. Even if this giant looked far too young for him for Bill to call him sir. 

The giant seemed to ponder on what he said. "Not even a thousand..." the giant mumbled, which still sounded like rumbling thunder over him. "It'll have to make do." 

Bill didn't know what he was talking about, or even if this giant was talking to him or himself. He didn't dare ask though. 

The giant looked at the silhouette of the other giant, and with a deafening loud voice, called out to him. "We have our work cut out for us." 

The other giant's voice, deep and resonating, said, "This was the location that he had specified. We can always get more humans from around if we need to." 

"True," the green-eyed giant said before his eyes locked back onto the man in his fist. "How many humans are between the ages of thirteen and forty?" 

"Um...wha-what? Uh..." 

"Answer the damn question," the giant commanded, his voice hard. 

"Um...I-I don't know that s-sir." Bill asked, truly afraid that he couldn't answer that question. The giant growled right in front of him, eyes narrowing. That was enough for Bill to give an estimate. "I m-mean to s-s-say that most of us are y-young. I'd say about...uh...two-th-thirds of the population?" 

The answer seemed to appease the giant. "I see...we'll definitely need more then..." 

"First things first." the other giant said before walking out from the grove a trees, heedless of the shrubbery and trees that were crunched under his feet. 

This giant looking startling like the giant that held him, almost as if they were twins. The only difference was that the other giant was that it seemed that the other giant was actually taller, if that were all possible. He reached up into the sky, and with a swirl of his hand, a oval shaped disk wider than his house appeared out of thin air. The disk vertically rose high into the sky, just as the white vortex that the two giants came from collapsed on itself and blinked out of existence. 

Suddenly, waves of transient light fluttered all around the them, further than Bill could see. It was almost as though the Aurora Borealis had fallen down from the sky. Bill only gaped as the whirls of color fell down around the horizon in all directions before disappearing. 

The giant who held him smiled, before stooping down. Bill let out a small cry as the giant, not quite gently dropped him onto the grass of his yard. Bill got to his feet and ran inside his house, roofless and all. 

He looked back to see the neither of the giants were paying him any mind as they began to walk in the other direction, their receding steps still causing the ground to shake until they were far enough that they disappeared beyond the groves. 

Bill didn't waste any time. Rushing into the kitchen, he went to grab the phone that laid on the linoleum floor. 

It was at that moment that he realized that there was absolutely no power. With the roof of his home gone, he had figured the darkness was because the lights that were once overhead were now gone. But there were no sounds of the gentle thrumming of his heater, his beeps of the phone, or even the ticks of his clock. 

The phone fell from his hand as he rushed back out the house to get to his truck. 

He only managed to take two steps before he was engulfed in a blue light, and then he saw nothing at all.  


	8. Chapter 6: Stability

Under the moonlit sky, First Lieutenant Beck Otieno finished the rest of his cheese and ham sandwich and took a swig of water.    
  
Still chewing, Beck vaguely remembered when he and his family emigrated to the United States from Kenya. The first thing that he noticed was just how absurdly crowded New York City was in comparison to Nairobi. And at the time he went, It was also significantly colder than anything he had experienced before. His English mother had told him that he would grow used to it all in time, cold weather, new home, different culture and all.    
  
And, like most immigrants who moved at a young age to any country, he eventually did. The good and the bad, he grew into it all.   
  
So he felt like he could take on the world when he made the decision to join the National Guard after college.   
  
But the strangeness of this incredible situation really brought that decision into question more than any other time before.   
  
God, what he wouldn't do for a cold beer and a plate of steak and fries. But he knew that he'd have to settle for his sandwich and lukewarm water instead.     
   
Although it couldn't have been more than sixty-two degrees outside of his tent, he was burning up under the collar of his jacket, and had to keep wiping the sweat off his forehead. For the first time since this morning, he allowed to finally put something in his stomach which had been growling since he had first arrived in the area.   
  
Major Lucas Walker was still on the line with General Merider, their conversation drifting into white noise in Beck's ears as the his eyes began to slowly droop. It was merely forty-minutes shy from the midnight hour and his body was still aching in exhaustion, his mind demanded a reprieve from all the personified insanity that  _literally_  was just outside the tent.   
  
He rubbed his temples as the call went on, Lucas's Brooklyn accent laced with the slightest, almost imperceptible hint of irritation. "Sir, my men have checked everything within a twenty mile radius of this guy and the college. There are no signs of radiation or radiological weaponry, contamination or even traces as to what is responsible for... _this._ And Hernandez already sent what he could to the labs, and so far, nothing matches up."   
  
Lucas became quiet for a moment as a muffled voice spoke at length on the phone, far too quiet for Beck to even attempt to make out what the General was saying. But a minute later, Lucas responded. "Sir, what I'm insinuating is that this behemoth might not even be human anymore...or probably  _never_   _was_   _in the first place."  
_  
Merider said something again. Lucas was quicker to respond this time around. "I don't want to believe it either...I mean, this... _him_...we are probably really dealing with someone straight out of this world. Not making any definites, but it's becoming more and more believable every time I even  _glance_ at him. The team at the school is still getting witness accounts and testimonies and the police are trying to help with damage control but until we figure out the boy's whereabouts, we're running on nothing."   
  
Merider was quiet on the other line, but when he spoke, Lucas grimaced. "Understood sir. I'll see what I can do on my end. I'll contact you again at 0800 hours if there is no new development. Have a good night."   
  
And after two seconds, he ended the call before slouching in his chair. _"Oy..."_  
  
"Nice night for a game of beer pong, right?" Beck tiredly teased, tossing the plastic bag that held his sandwich into the bin.   
  
Lucas halfheartedly glared back, his voice just as equally tired. "Shut up."    
  
Beck let out a dry laugh before a solemn expression overtook his features. "So, nothing new so far."   
  
"As far as we know, anyway," Lucas replied, clasping his hands as he rested tapped his thumbs to his chin. "And I don't think we'll get any new info anytime soon until we find Michaels."   
  
"Seriously though, you think he's dead?"   
  
"Most likely. At least that's what seems to be the most likely case. Gut's saying no though."   
  
"Gut's saying more than just no. Get a granola bar already. Surprised Merider didn't comment on your hungry-ass stomach sounding like a bear the entire time."   
  
Lucas sucked his teeth. "Please. He's received calls all day, he probably's just as hungry as us over here."   
  
"Still wasn't the one dealing with the 'wrap up' in personal though."   
  
"Good point." Lucas conceded as Beck tossed a water bottle for him to catch. Lucas smoothly caught it in the air, unscrewed the top, and downed half of it within seconds. Lucas may have outranked Beck, but having known him before they joined the military at various points in life made it easy to forget that fact. Especially since Beck was older than him by a year and a half.   
  
"But in all honesty. If he's dead, then where the hell do we go from here? Everybody's saying the same thing, and it ain't like we can reach Michaels when he's not here."   
  
"His parents can't reach him either. Hernandez said one of his guys found his dad on the way to the school. He's got nothing, and his mom's also just as clueless about all this shit as he is. Nobody knows nothin' at all."   
  
"Well...technically, I probably would not say  _nobody."  
  
_ Lucas's mouth twitched and after a moment, he stood up from his chair and walked towards opening of the tent.   
  
They were next to the massive, roughly three-hundred foot deep crater that was illuminated with countless ground lights and the un-obscured moonlit sky, thanks to the incredible deforestation made by  _whatever_ could have take place here. Surrounding the crater were many other tents, with many soldiers by the  _platoons_  on the look out, patrolling the area. Not counting the battalion stationed slightly further out.    
  
And the countless soldiers that were actually in the crater with  _him,_ the one responsible for the bedlam all around them.   
  
With a near five hundred foot diameter, there was more than enough room to house several helicopters, tents, and footmen to keep watch over the prone form of the giant lying on bedrock. Hooked up with countless wires and a tubes thicker than his arm, the giant lay sedated with enough anesthesia to take out legions of elephants. It still surprised him that it seemed to be working so far.   
  
Although his eyes were closed, looking almost peaceful under the speckled lights surrounding every corner of the crater, there was no way to deny that whatever Lucas was looking at, that should the giant so much as slightly open its eyes, nothing but chaos would ensue.   
  
He heard Beck say something from behind him. "Would you be willing to ask  _him?"  
  
_ Although he knew the other man was being facetious, a chill crawled up his spine.   
  
If the eyewitness accounts were correct...reptilian, vertical pupils...reptilian smile...   
  
Monstrous...   
  
Lucas responded hollowly, "Not in particular."  
      

  
\-----

Rachel took small bites out of the apple she got from the bag. She wasn't particularly hungry, her stomach in too many knots to even consider taking in food. She just needed something...anything to distract her from the predicament she was in.   
  
The giant medic, whom had introduced himself as Zel not too long after she woke up, was typing away at one of the computers in the corner. There was an influx of data, suspended mid-air with diagrams and graphs depicting something that reminded her of doctor's reports. Fitting. Under any other circumstances, she probably would have marveled at the hi-tech complexity of where she was. But what had happened back on campus weighed too heavily on her mind for such wonderment to surface.   
  
From time to time, Zel would send a worried glance in her direction, and she pretended to not notice each time. Making eye contact would have been too much at the moment. She kept her back to him, facing the door as she took a swig of water while he fervently worked at his station. She welcomed the silence. He had tried to make friendly conversation not long after those two other giants left the room, leaving her alone with the giant in white. It was terrible enough when that  _monstrously_ big commander guy had bore down on her with those overbearing eyes of his. Even if it was only for a second. She didn't desire that kind of attention again, from one of those giant beings, whatever they were called. Zel immediately got the hint when she hid herself under the covers of the berth.   
  
 _'He looked kinda...hurt...'_ she thought belatedly, stealing a glance at the occupied giant. He was too focused on computer in front of him to notice the small eyes on him.     
  
When she had woken up, he was one of the first things she saw. The last thing she remembered was going through a white portal that Seron had made out of thin air and that was all. She screamed the moment  her vision cleared enough to recognize him as another giant. Ironically, he seemed genuinely startled when she screamed, and tried to calm her a bit. She hadn't stopped screaming until he took a few steps back away from the table she was on.   
  
He had to explain himself at arm's length, which had still seemed too close at the time, where she was, what his name was, and how they got there. The hammering in her chest drowned out most of his explanation, but she did manage to get the gist of it. Her voice was hoarse, and her mind was racing far too fast to comprehend everything at the moment. Only in the most recent of retrospects was she able to remember that she was on an alien spaceship with giants, far from her home and having survived with Jonah ( _' **Where**  did they take him!?_') from being taken by a couple of giants.   
  
From what she could tell, for some odd reason, Jonah was called Arum. Or, as he said it, was mistaken for Arum. By two giants. Something that wasn't a coincidence.   
  
She was beginning to question if she knew him at all.  
  
She thought six years was a fairly decent amount of time to get to know someone, but now she was beginning to feel as though she was only acquainted with a long time stranger. The way that giant in blue, Seron, had made it sound like there was a level of familiarity between the two, but Jonah seemed to have no idea who he was, or what was going on. Nonetheless, with everything that had happened, she began to wonder about many possibilities of him being the missing link in something if it were urgent enough to warrant them being away from their planet. Was he an alien? Was he human? Was there some intergalactic body-double somewhere in the universe he got mistaken for?   
  
She was ripped away from her thoughts as she heard a fairly loud beep come from behind her. She turned and watch just as another smaller hologram appeared next to the medic's right, which he turned to. On the hologram was the visage of the stern looking giant that called himself Commander Regis, a name that just sounded fitting for someone of such stature, despite having no idea what the meaning of his name meant.   
  
The medic spoke inquisitively, but in something that definitely was not English. Whatever language these aliens spoke was not anything she could truly compare to, sounding like a mix between multiple and no languages on Earth she had heard. Then again, there were hundred upon hundreds of languages, but these were nothing like the common ones. And even if there was, there were certain intonations that seemed fairly difficult for someone like her to even replicate.    
  
The commander responded, in the same language that Zel had spoke, in a much gruffer and deeper tone. The medic nodded and said something in the affirmative right before the transmission was cut off and the hologram winked out of existence. Very slowly, as to not scare the human on the table that was staring at him warily, looked at her with a tentative smile.   
  
"They're coming back," Zel said, switching to English with ease, "Seron is bringing him back. At least for a little bit."   
  
Zel flashed her a friendly smile, in a attempt to assuage her from the gloom she was sitting in. It had the opposite effect as she couldn't quell the instinctive quiver that traveled up her spine at the innocuous action, which caused him to frown immediately. She stared at him for a moment and let out an uneasy sigh.     

  
\-----   


  
Jonah sat uneasily in Seron's palm as they went out of the room. Seron walked down the corridor, not as briskly as before, with a pensive look on his face. Jonah's countenance beheld a look of absolute horror. 

The ethereal view of Earth was for display from high, thin windows he had never noticed before, but as amazing as it had looked the first time, was much less enthralling with Jonah's mind clouded with the everything he had received. Despite being beyond the reaches of his world, he felt like he was imprisoned in smallest cage. While they weren't exactly holding him hostage (or at least it didn't seem like they were), he was trapped by circumstances far beyond his ability to handle them. His head still throbbed, and his body was still sore. It was likely he'd be feeling like this for days. Weeks even. 

Never could he expect a normal day to drastically morph into something like  _this._

 __It hurt too much to be fake. Hurt too much to be _real._

 __Dead students. Giant aliens. Outer Space. The threat of _total annihilation._ Had he not just experienced everything first hand, he would never had even believed it. 

Dead students... 

 _Dead._

His breath hitched in his throat.

All because he was at the wrong place, at the wrong time, and possibly mistaken for the wrong person. He  _had_ to be mistaken for the wrong person.  

While his mind tried to reason with him, to remind him that there was no way he could have anticipated anything like this happen, or even done anything to stop it, his heart harbored the heavy guilt that nearly suffocated him. 

If only...if only...

"I'm sorry." 

Jonah blinked before looking up at Seron's face, astonished to find regret painted in his eyes. 

"We've...dragged you and your people into something that should have never concerned you." he elaborated in voice softly lilt with sorrow, guilt. "And because of that, people are dead, and your world remains in danger." 

Seron glanced away, as if unable to meet the teenager in the eye. "I...I originally wanted to stop Terez while he was at your college but...if I had interfered then, the number casualties would have been greater. While it wasn't my call, I wish I had acted quicker...done more. Then...I'd...I would think that things would have been more manageable for you."

While Seron's tone remained mostly monotone and professional, a sense of humanity was evident in his features.  

Jonah was wary of the giant, just as he should be. After all, he was in no position to be anything but wary as vulnerable as he was. But he couldn't really bring himself to fully distrust him. Maybe it was because he saved his life or that he hadn't done anything openly malicious towards him. And while he still feared him, even with the knowledge that he had no intention of harming either him or Rachel, he didn't see any complete reason to not believe him. But he didn't know how much it had to do with how little he knew about him or how little he knew  _himself_ at the moment. 

"No...what happened at the school was terrible but...two giants fighting on a college campus would have been worse." Jonah told him, and himself for that matter. With the memories of what happened still fresh in his head of Terez's attack on Wessinger Hall, and the memory of the dual between the two titans, he could easily imagine his entire college campus being reduced to rubble with no one to tell the tale of how it happened. It was an incredibly morbid thought. 

"So..." Jonah mumbled, sounding lost, "...what do you guys expect me to do?" 

Seron didn't say anything for a few seconds. After a short period of suffocating silence, he said, "First, we'll try to figure out why you have Arum's signature, and how you acquired it. If we can at least figure that out, we'll have an idea where to go from here. We'll have Zelleron observe for more abnormalities in the diagnostics he took of you. He has the equipment and knowledge to do more than just a rudimentary scan like the one I performed." 

"If being literally scanned by an alien who can read my DNA in a  _glance_ is considered rudimentary, then what's an in-depth look?" 

"Zelleron would have to assess that unfortunately. But if we figure out how you've somehow wound up with Arum's DNA signature, we might be able to have some leads as to either Arum, or more importantly, the Centurion's Key." 

"I see," he lied. He really didn't. Well, he did, but the sheer fact that he was thought to be involved in all this still seemed incomprehensible.     

Another silence befell them, with the exception of the sound of boots on the metal tiles beneath Seron's feet. Lightly biting his lip, he glanced out at the all-encompassing window where the Earth mostly dominated. Rubbing his arm, he timidly asked, "Say...when do you think...well...when Rachel and I can go back home?" 

For a moment, Jonah's question was met with silence but Seron spoke, slowly and cautiously. "I don't completely know. I need to discuss the possible security measures and surveillance methods with Commander Regis and several others before we can truly say it is permissible for you to return back to Earth. For your and Rachel's safety, that is. We'll see to it that we can get you two back as quickly as you possibly can. As much as  _I_ can at least." 

Jonah sighed bitterly, feeling tears begin to well up and forcing them back down as much as he could, "I hate this." 

"...I understand. I really do." Seron said, apologetically, "Once we can get all this...sorted, I can assure you that your return home will become one of our priorities." 

"I appreciate it," the student responded with faint, but genuine sincerity. He also had the feeling that Seron was purposefully omitting the fact that he also didn't want to risk more lives by just having Jonah near his fellow humans, another repeat of what happened at Wessinger. Just because he was  _there._ Or because... 

"Hey Seron?" 

The giant obediently met his eyes, causing Jonah to squirm under them. There would be no way he'd be used to seeing eyes easily larger than his torso trained on him. 

"I...I recall you saying Arum was a friend of yours...right?" 

"That's correct."  

"So...you've known him for a long time, am I right?" Jonah pressed, which Seron obliged. 

"For nearly 173 years, definitely long by human standards." 

Jonah felt the need to question about Seron's age...or just exactly what he was, but not yet. "So...you would say you guys were close?" 

Seron nodded, a wisp of sorrow tinged in his eyes. "Like brothers, as much as we could be anyway." After a hesitant pause, Seron went on. "He and I...we were... _are_ the first of produced soldiers made to use nanotechnology to the degree that we do. So...in many ways, we had to rely on each other more than anyone else. Out of necessity at first but...we developed a friendship over time...we had to." 

Not wanting to stir up what seemed to be painful memories, but desperately needing to know the truth, Jonah blatantly asked, "So, do you still think that I am Arum?" 

"I am almost completely confident that you are." Seron answered honestly, almost forcefully. "While I'm not sure how all this came to be" From your lack of memories and while you are in this form, I feel that you are without a doubt Arum...or at least involved with him in some way."   
     
"Even though we look nothing alike?" 

Seron raised his free hand, which at first, Jonah thought was going to turn on top of him and squash him, but instead, he watched as it began to literally  _sizzle..._ and  _morph._

 __What was once a hand turned into cluster of blue, radiant motes that seemed to turn around and phase about before coming to together at once, the blue dying down before changing back into it's original flesh color. And then it became a hand again, but with intense observance, Jonah saw some subtle differences in the placement of hand lines and creases.

"Like I mentioned before, during our discussion..." 

Jonah looked up to meet Seron's face and gaped. 

What had once been a man with brunette hair and blue eyes was now a man with completely white hair and startling red eyes, albino in appearance. Had it not been for the facial features and hairstyle, as well as the fact that he literally saw part of the change right there, Jonah could have sworn he was looking at a completely different person. 

"...Arum has many different abilities and his appearance has undergone drastic changes. It's something that we as nanomachine-infused beings can do. To some extent." 

The young man couldn't help but still stare in utter astonishment. "What...am I looking at?" 

Seron averted his gaze for a moment before looking back at him with eyes that seemed to be looking past him. "This...is my original appearance. Right after I was created actually. Arum as well actually had similar features. It was only upon coming aboard this ship that I adopted the form you saw before, the one I usually use," Seron answered, with Jonah still having a hard time that the voice he was hearing was coming out of the same giant.     
     
"I...well, that clarified quite a bit. But still," Jonah said, rubbing his eyes once more, to check that he was still seeing correctly, that he was sane before pointing to himself before pointing to the immensely different looking Seron, "...there is one glaring problem. The fact that, judging from the hologram you showed me, Arum would still have to be the size of a  _building._ To me, at least. So, how is it that I'm confused him while he should be big enough to literally squish me flat?" 

"By all means, that's what we're trying to figure out," Seron replied, his voice dry. It was evident he was trying to figure that out himself. "Arum's ability to manipulate the nanomachines in his body surpasses my own, and he and I been in many situations on many planets where our appearance has been changed from things beyond our control." 

"Like...?" 

"Transforming into an alien race with six legs and four arms, as well as coming across aliens that can literally make you invisible upon touch." 

Jonah blinked. "Oh." 

Seron nodded, "The universe is a vast and unique place, Jonah." 

"I bet." Jonah agreed. Not like he could be able to refute that fact before or after today anyway. 

But Jonah still wasn't done questioning just yet. 

"Hey Seron, can you do me a favor?" 

"Anything." 

"...When Zel's done...giving me a check up or whatever, can you tell me as much about Arum as possible?" 

Seron smiled, ever so lightly. "I'd be happy too. In fact, I was planning to. Though, there is quite a lot to talk about." 

Jonah let a clipped, dry chuckle. "Oh don't worry about that...after all..." 

Jonah took another look at the Earth, then at the stars beyond it. Where he now knew, without a doubt, that they were not alone. 

"I have all the time in the world...and out of it." 

 

\-----

 _"Report."_

 _"Sir, we have secured a sufficient space enough for us to create a base here. The barrier has been erected and all telecommunication lines to the outside have been disabled."_

 _"When do you believe you can finish construction?"_

 _"Within approximate 30 Earth hours, sir."_

 _"And what of the humans in the area?"_

 _"According to one of the locals, the population is estimated to be around nine-hundred in the area. We can achieve our quota by obtaining some from the outside."_

 _"Fair enough. Just see to it that it all remains invisible to radar and satellite."_

 _"With all due respect sir, we anticipated this in advance and have taken all precautionary measures to prevent interference from Viras Colony. All human ones can be easily dealt with."_

 _"Good."_

 _"Sir, may I ask a question?"_

 _"What is it?"_

 _"What of Terez?"_

 _"Once the base is completed, we'll pull him from the humans' confines to question him. Afterwards, he should no longer be of your or my concern. Is that understood?"_

 _"Yes sir."_

 _"Now then, don't delve into matters that don't involve you and commence with the operation."_

 _"Understood."_

 _"If so, then end this call... **and wake them up."**_


	9. Chapter 7: Block

Forty-three year old Miranda River was more than rudely awakened by the sound of static noise coming from her television.   
  
 _"Uhn..._ what the hell?"  
  
Vision not quite acclimated yet, she peeked from under her thick, velvet comforter, moaning to herself as the television's shifting screen lit the room up and rubbed the sleep from her eye with one hand.   
  
She glanced to the window, and saw that it wasn't even dawn just yet. She still had several hours before her TV alarm was supposed to go off. She exhaled. She accidentally must've turned on one of her former alarm clocks when she worked in the delivery service several years back. What a stupid way to wake up.   
  
With some effort, she forced herself to roll out of the bed and onto her feet.   
  
The remote control was on her dresser, which was situated between her lamp and end table in the corner of her small bedroom. Feeling farther than ever at this unholy hour for anyone to be awake. As she sluggishly walked towards it, she briefly looked at the time on her DVD player which read  **4:07 am** in bright crimson.   
  
She raised an eyebrow. She never had an alarm set to around that time. Strange.   
  
Slightly more alert, she grabbed the remote and simply clicked the power button for her TV to shut off.        
  
Nothing happened.   
  
She did it again.   
  
The static was still there, in a monochrome blitz.   
  
She sighed. There was no way the batteries were out of juice that quickly. She probably bought duds.   
  
Remote still in hand, Miranda trudged towards her television to turn it off manually. But before she could even lift a finger to even press the large, square button, the static disappeared in a blip, before the screen turned a bright red.   
  
Now truly alarmed and awake, Miranda took several steps back as the screen of her television illuminated her torso and legs, as well as a portion of her carpet and bed in an ominously red square, a stark contrast to the residual darkness outside of it's reach. A growing sense of dread began to climb up into her chest as she clenched the remote in her hand, her eyes darting from the television to the window.   
  
Skin prickling, she whispered to herself, "What in the world...?"   
  
That was all she could say as a split second later, bright white words appeared in the center of the red.   
 **  
ALL LORETTSVILLE CITIZENS ARE TO REPORT TO TOWN HALL IMMEDIATELY. YOU HAVE UNTIL 5:30 AM TO ARRIVE. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO LEAVE LORETTSVILLE. FAILURE TO COMPLY WILL RESULT IN ERADICATION.  
**  
The message read across like a screen twice over, with the brunette's eyes staring at the words in stupefaction, as if they were written in a different language. But she could read those letters perfectly, the sense of danger swelling up in her like an illness. It was made clear that by no means this was a message to be taken lightly, and for some reason, she couldn't will herself to even attempt to pull the plug out of her television. The message would seem like something she would see for a tornado warning or a hurricane's landfall, but there was something that couldn't be denied as an explicit threat at the end of the message, replaying across the screen to further its point.    
  
Her mouth felt dry and uncomfortable, as if cotton was left in it for too long.  
  
She jumped and turned away from the TV when her phone rang.   
  
She stared at it for a moment, as if it were a foreign object before she tentatively reached for it, hand lightly shivering.   
  
Swallowing, she accepted the call and slowly brought it to her ear. In a rather timid voice, she responded, "H-hello?"   
  
Instead of a robotic voice of the message that was still scrolling across the screen that she had been expecting, she heard the voice of one of her friends and fellow neighbors, Francine, on the other line. _"Hey Miranda. U-um, sorry to call you so early in the morning. I know it's horribly early...I promise it's...I-uh, I got to ask you somethin'."_  
  
"S-sure," Miranda replied, noting the hint of fear in her friend's voice, which only served to increase her own.   
  
 _"Um...by any chance, did...did your TV turn on by itself? Or a radio or...or something?"_  
  
Her heart dropped, eyes widening.   
  
"Y-yeah. It did. Like...a minute ago...it... _you?"  
  
"Oh God..." _Francine's normally sweet, soothing voice seemed to cry out on the other line.  _"The TV and...the radio, they both...right now they're both...this message..."_  
  
"Yeah...I got the message too. Oh Lordy...have mercy, so it's not just...?"   
  
 _"No...I mean, I can hear people in the other apartments. They're all up, saying the same thing. Changed the channels and they're all the same. I didn't think it was real but...just...what is_ **this?"**  
  
"I don't know...I m-mean, at first I thought...I never usually...thought it was my old alarm, but...I think it's real Franny. Think this is actually...think it's the real deal."   
  
 _"Oh no...oh no no nonono..."_ Francine's voice was jittery and shaky, so unlike her,  _"Miranda I...I need to get my kids up right now. I got to go, right now. Are you goin'? You goin' there, right?"_  
  
"Yeah Franny...I'm goin'...I'll meet you there. I need to hang up now. Okay? I'll see you..."   
  
 _"See you."_  
  
And but a fraction of a second later, the call was terminated and Miranda all but slammed the phone back onto the receiver before rushing to her drawers to change out of her night gown into her day clothes. Five minutes later, she was already dressed in a pair of work jeans, a white and orange T-shirt and a blue denim jacket. Her long, slowly graying chestnut hair was thrown into an unkempt ponytail after she splashed water on her face when she left the bathroom. Slipping into her old, off-white sneakers, she glanced back at the clock on her DVD which now read  **4:14 am** and back at the window, the sky still dark as it was before.   
  
Grabbing her charged flip phone and keys from her desk, she walked through the hallway at a brisk pace and out the door, unlocking the car door from ten feet away before opening it and sitting in the driver's seat of her Corolla and turning it on.   
  
After a few seconds, she backed out of her driveway and took off a bit strongly onto the open road, her engine a stark contrast to the sound of chirping crickets and rustling trees.    
  
In her small, yellow home, the message continued to roll across the screen.   
  


\----- 

Daniel wasn't able to get an ounce of sleep. 

But he wasn't the only one it seemed. 

The cot he was lying on was relatively hard, and he very much preferred the softness of his car seats than this. And the tent walls did nothing to hinder the sounds of insects and chattering of night watch soldiers. Not that it probably would have made a difference even if he was left in utter silence. 

He stomach was growling, his body was aching and his eyes were blearing. 

His head was still wheeling...swirling without end. 

The conversation he had with Hernandez replayed in his mind, over and over.   

_"He's...gone?"_

_Carson Hernandez steeled himself before answering, his eyes compassionate but unwavering. "Not dead, as far as we know. But eye witnesses say that the giant had taken him and a girl by the name of Rachel Grant with him. When we reached the giant, he was out cold and the two of them were nowhere to be found. We still have several teams looking for them as we speak."_

_Daniel's lip quivered in trepidation, "B-But...you're sure its him...that the giant took **Jonah**  of all people...right? Like...know one else? A look alike or ma-" _

_"Unfortunately sir," Hernandez interjected as Daniel's voice began to rise, "It's seems highly unlikely it was anyone but him."_

_Daniel stared despairingly as Hernandez solemnly went on._

_"Many of the eye witness accounts were from his classmates in several classes that recognized him when the giant took him. Nearly all of them said the same thing. Not only that, but we observed one of the intact security cameras taken place before the attack. He was definitely in the building at the time, with actual footage of him entering. Also," Hernandez said, briefly pausing before speaking once more, "When we were identifying the bodies, neither he nor Rachel were among them. We also searched through the survivors as well."_

_"So...what you're saying is that you don't know if my son is_  dead!?"

_"What I'm trying to convey is that there is a possibility that your son might be_ alive,  _Mr. Michaels." Hernandez said reassuringly, putting a hand on the man's shoulder, which the soldier felt was shaking under his fingertips._

_"S-so..." Daniel began, voice cracking, "Do you...do you honestly think you can find him? I mean, don't lie to me...I want to know...sir, I_ need  _to know. Can you find him? Can you find Jonah?" Tears began to flow unabashedly down his cheeks, as the man grabbed at Hernandez's shirt with one hand. It stung. It hurt. It was suffocating._

_Memories of Jonah's balancing on his feet for the first time._

_Him asking to take him to see the circus._

_Him sleeping in between him and his wife on the bed._

_Him crying on the steps when he found out he heard him and his first wife arguing._

_Him hugging him...telling him that no matter what...he loved him._

_Him standing there, in the hall when he said...didn't mean..._

_Him...his...him..._

_"Please..." Daniel sobbed, "Can you tell me...c-can you tell me...Jonah...my only son..."_

_Hernandez could only look at him with sympathy. Pity. Mouth slightly open to say something, nothing coming out._

_An impregnable silence fell, Daniel's ears feeling muted from the outside world and Hernandez's never coming into fruition, as if lost._

_Through blurry eyes, he saw Hernandez look briefly at his own crossed, shaking hands, whispering, "Oh mi querido Dios..." before meeting Daniels back to his face. The soldier's hazel brown eyes gleaming as they met Daniel's still shimmering, green eyes._

_"Daniel." It was a statement. "I have a younger brother actually. He's twenty-one, only a couple years older than your son but...still close. I...I know...I can't grasp how much you're feeling right now but I know. So...believe everything when I say this. I don't know what Jonah's current status is. I don't know where we should even look. But, I promise you. Within my power, all our power...we'll keep looking and looking. We won't stop. We_ **can't** _stop. So...for now...now this."_

_Clenching the man's shoulder, he said, "If he's alive. If's he's here. We will find him. We won't stop trying until we do."_

_"Believe me..."_

"Believe me....?" Daniel quietly echoed Hernandez's words that seemed to hang in open air. 

It was hard to do. Extremely hard to do, but it was the only thing he could do. 

The school itself was still under investigation, and he wasn't allowed to get within range until it was deemed safe to do so, which no definite time was given. And the giant was even further out of his reach, still an enigma. 

He silently seethed. 

The disbelief of the situation had evaporated early on when he first saw the news and military personnel in bulk once he had been briefly apprehended and was explained the situation. For some odd reason, as unbelievable and twisted as it all sounded, he couldn't shed the feeling that it had to be true, with more mounting evidence as Hernandez's subordinates backed up their findings, as well as their grave expressions bore into him. 

And now that he could believe it, he knew where he could direct his rage to. 

A being too far from him. 

In more ways than one. 

There were many times he felt helpless, but never like  _this._

This wasn't a schoolyard bully or a difficult supervisor. This was a literal  _giant,_ and if Hernandez said was possibly true, an actual  _alien._

He recalled him saying that, judging from the devastation within radius of giant despite the lack of outward injuries, the being could withstand an actual blast of a fifty ton TNT blast, possibly more by speculation. Without testing, there wasn't any answers. And it seemed, from what Hernandez was alluding to earlier, that they weren't planning to kill the giant until they learned more about him. Biologically anyway, while the colossal being was still out. 

But if he could, Daniel would have found a way to kill him with his bare hands. 

It was that anger that was keeping him up through the night. 

He knew he needed some rest. He was due for more questioning later in the morning, but he couldn't. A silent rage still emanated from him like steam. 

He didn't notice the blood dribbling down his lip, where he was biting. Or that his hands were clenched so tight, his palms were sore and scratched.

Inside the military-issued tent, it was dark, black. 

But Daniel could only see red. 

\-----    

The metal doors slid open with a hydraulic hiss, allowing Seron to stride into the room, Jonah in tow. 

Zel turned in time to see them approach, smiling. "Welcome back." 

Seron nodded in acknowledgement, before glancing down at the table to look at Rachel, who immediately averted her gaze from him, fearfully. 

Fighting the urge to sigh, Seron lowered his hand holding the nineteen-year-old boy, allowing him to dislodge from his hand and join up with his fellow human and then looked at Zel, who seemed to exactly pick up what Seron was going to say. 

Clicking something on the computer, the medic looked at the three around him. "Right so, um, Jonah. Glad to see you're back honestly, you were there for a while." 

Both Seron and Rachel, who had moved closer to her friend, saw Jonah's shoulders slouch. "Yeah...there was...a lot to talk about." 

"Yeah..." Zel said, sounding a bit ashamed as he scratched the back of his head, a motion that seemed so weird to come from a being the size of a building, "I...got clued in quite a bit from the Commander himself. You're..." the bespectacled giant trailed, as if searching for something not to offend him, "Well...you sound like you've had better days." 

"Understatement." Jonah responded with a dry huff. 

The medic's brows furrowed in concern and sympathy before he spoke. "So...I guess you know that, uh...well that they want me to do a little testing on you..." The medic's eyes suddenly widened when Jonah cringed before he rapidly waved a hand in front of him, "Not anything dangerous or painful like that! I mean, scans and whatnot! You know, to get this mess taken care of and all. Wait...I'm not calling  _you_ a mess, in case you're wondering. I-I mean this situation is, and it's not your fault at all and..." 

The medic's face began to turn red as he became sheepish for a moment. "What I'm trying to say is that...well, ask more like it, is that...do I have your permission?"   

Jonah had to blink away his confusion at the Zel's awkwardly asked question, before smiling a bit. 

"Sure," Jonah approved with a nod, "If anything, it's probably the only way I can get answers from this really shitty situation."  

The medic smiled warmly before returning the nod. "Alright then," he said, turning towards the door, "I'll see about getting the materials ready," he said to all present. "It'll take some adjusts, given that everything set mainly to our species rather than humans, but with a bit of calculating, I'll figure something out." 

Zel, who stood roughly half a head shorter than Seron, was still capable of making long strides that took him to the doors within seconds. Before stepping out, he turned to look at the two humans on the table, smiling. "You know, I hear that I'm a bit too optimistic about everything, but a dose of optimism during crazy times is good, you know? I mean, if we were too cynical, we'd have nothing to believe is worth fighting for. Plus, you're alive and in one piece! So..." 

Stepping through the doors, Zel grinned brightly. 

"So, don't worry...things will get better in time. It has to!"    

\----- 

Miranda arrived at the small town hall in record speed. 

And so did many other people, with cars collected in the parking lot and sides of the streets in droves. 

The somewhat heavy-set woman stepped out of her car after parking under a tree on an adjacent dirt path. She looked to see many people by the dozens chattering loudly all around her, a tumultuous crowd with dozens upon dozens and dozens of people loudly talking about the message earlier. She didn't know how to feel, that she wasn't the only one but they were all there at the break of dawn. 

There were many people, still dressed in their pajamas, wandering about on the sidewalk and glass, while others were fully clothed in casual wear, with a man, whom she could realize from a distance, was Leroy Tetner, an insurance clerk, dressed in one of his usual business suits.   

To her unease, she saw children, most with their parents close by and others in the vehicles, looking out from the windows in sleepy confusion. A four year old, with her long, black hair in a braid and wearing footy pajamas kept pulling at the side of presumably her's mother's sleeve, absolutely teary eyed and looking as though she wanted to go home, understandably. 

"Miranda!" 

She turned around to see Francine waving at her from one of the small groves of the town hall's property, her two sons on each side with cautious looks on their normally bright faces. 

Relieved to see her long time friend and her children, she hurriedly made her way there to meet with them, embracing her friend in a tight hug. 

"You're here," Franny sighed in relief, as she hugged back before backing away to look at her kids. "We booked it outta there. Nick and Thomas were already up actually, their own TV got 'em up." 

"It happened out of nowhere!" Nick exclaimed, going in to hug Miranda, who returned it favorably. "Like we were both sleeping and then,  _bzzt bzzt biiin!'_ " Nick pressing his lips and tongue to imitate the sound. "Then the super creepy message came." 

"Same for me," Miranda told them, letting go of the eight-year-old to hug the six-year-old Thomas. "Woke me right up." 

"Were you scared?" Thomas asked innocently, "Because I was super scared! I started crying. And mommy was scared too. She wasn't crying though, but told us to,  _'hurry, hurry,'_  and we got out the house fast!"   

"We're still in our PJs!" Nick added, pointing to his plaid green and blue pajama top and pants. "We got no time!" 

"I see that." Miranda said, "And yeah hon, I was scared." 

_**"Am**  scared," _she mentally amended, but she forced herself to keep her smile for Franny's children. 

"I'm still sleepy..." Thomas said with a yawn, looking around himself. 

"I know, I know," Franny gently hushed, patting her younger son's head. "And I'm sure we can go back to sleep in a little bit."  

"Do you think we're really in danger, Ma?" Nick asked, grabbing onto her other arm and hugging towards him. 

"No, honey, I'm pretty sure it's something small. Maybe Mayor Gallaway will explain when he gets here." 

"You think he's inside?" Miranda asked, looking at the building. The lights were out from what she could tell from the windows. And there was no sign of movement. 

Franny's shook her head, confirming her answer. "Don't think so. We tried knockin' and even had Iggy go inside with the Janitor's key, but no one's in there. And he ain't in the crowd either. No one's seen him." 

"Hey!" 

The middle aged women and children looked to their right to see Genevieve, a young, preppy woman who had moved into Lorettsville all the way from Cincinnati a little over half a year ago, walking towards them, waving her hands. 

Approaching the group, Miranda could hear her gathering her breath as she managed to say between gasps, "I'm...I'm not the only one. Thank God." 

"Hardly sweetie, I think almost everyone saw the message but..." Franny paused, looking around, "Where's your little boy toy?" 

"Carmine? He went with a couple of his boys to the police department to get some answers. Says if he can't, he'll meet up with us." 

Miranda felt an unsettling cold wash over her. "You...you should call him back. I mean, the police department is near the edge of town. And we don't know what or if this message is true or not." 

"I tried," Genevieve, or Gen as her friends often called her, frowned and hugged herself, trying to warm her uncovered arms. "Lord knows I tried, but you know you can't talk men like him outta anything. Made up his mind to go and the man went" She looked down to her feet and mumbled, "He can be such a stubborn bastard at times. That man..."  

Francine lightly tugged her arm out of Nick's grasp to reach for her cellphone. She glanced at it for but a moment before grimacing. "It's five minutes to five thirty. You might want to give him a call." 

"Ah shoot," came Gen's sharp whisper. Quickly dialing a series of numbers, she put the device to her ear and waited. 

Miranda silently swallowed. Gen's expression said it all. 

No answer.  

After a moment, Gen, in a shaky voice, said, "H-Hold on. Let me try again." 

And she did. 

A third time. Then a fourth time. 

It was until she tried a fifth time did she see the words on her screen 

_No signal._

The three women stared at the screen, an air of growing horror enveloping like the beginnings of a cyclone. 

Thomas's voice barely registered in Miranda's ears. "What's wrong, Miss Gen?" 

And, like the suddenness of lightning streaking across the sky, so came an incandescent bluish white light from above. 

Everyone, including Miranda, Franny, Gen, Nick, Thomas and the 813 people that were all assembled in the area of the town hall building, were instantly blinded by the ocular onslaught that came without warning. Screams and shouts could be heard around her, but she couldn't see anyone. Miranda had to shield her eyes with both hands, unable to see anything beyond the sheer brightness that was everywhere around her. 

And then, as if it were operated by a switch, it was all gone. 

Miranda's vision was still acclimating, as she blinked rapidly, sounds of confused shouts and cries still loud and ringing.  

The middle-aged woman looked at Fran, who was hugging both her frightened children close to her while Genevieve was still rubbing at her eyes, legs trembling. 

Lips quivering tumultuously, she whispered. "What was that?" 

That was all she said before she heard a shrill, blood-curdling scream. 

Turning around, she saw Mr. Hodge, a short, balding and usually quiet and reserved man, pointing upwards, eyes wide and mouth gaping. 

"Look up!" came his frantic voice, the man looking as if he were ready to collapse.  _Look up!"_

__She did. They all did.

Hovering in the sky, probably a little over a thousand feet, were three men. All dressed in a dark gray military uniform, a black buckle across their waists. One of them, a man with very dark brown, nearly black hair had a red and yellow badge that stuck out in great contrast to the rather monochrome uniform, his orange hued eyes looking down at he crowd below. The other two, who currently flanked him, looked like twins and bore equally green eyes that followed his gaze below. 

But...something was off. 

They looked as if they were close...but they were far in the sky and...they were growing bigger as they came down or...no they had been... _looked_  big but...was her vision still...? 

And then, they all landed. 

The ground shook heavily and Miranda, along with countless others, found themselves tumbling to the ground from the powerful quake. 

Landing on her hands and knees, she felt the cold sweat that she had finally just noticed dripping from her forehead and stared at the ground, heart pulsating beyond anything before. 

Shaking terribly, she felt her head lift up and her eyes land upon the three towering beings that were standing over everyone and everything, their gazes still on them, all of them. 

Any sounds seemed muted as one of the giants, the one with the vermilion eyes, took a step forward, cracking the asphalt and ground under his feet. A massive shadow stretched across the people and town hall building, shrouding them as his figure blocked out the rising sun.   
   
In blinding horror, she witness the immense man smirk before he spoke, in English. 

"Morning,  _survivors."_


	10. Chapter 8: Heap

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character Death ahoy

Diana Bhatia laid across her bed, her phone still pressed against her left hand, and box of tissues gripped in her right. Her raven hair, usually in a neat angled bob, was going every way on the pillow.   
  
She was all cried out, and was feeling a hollow numbness overtaking her.   
  
It was useless. After fifteen calls, none of them answered, she began to assume the worst had happened but still tried to cling to whatever hope she could that he was still alive, one of the survivors. That he was still there, but nothing was heard. Even as the news continued ceaselessly on her television, it was all the same. With no answers.   
  
She heard her door open but didn't bother looking up to see her roommate, Sandra, enter in.   
  
"Dee? How you holding up?"   
  
Diana barely moved her head. "Not well."   
  
There was a moment of silence before she heard Sandra sigh and take a few steps towards her.   
  
The bed shifted and creaked as she felt Sandra take a seat on the bed, right before she felt her roommate's comforting hand on the small of her back.   
  
"Diana, I can't even begin to say how sorry I am about all this." Sandra said, patting the girl before using her free hand to lift her friend's head so that she could meet her in the eye. "I mean, this is all just so crazy. I still can't believe it myself but to get some rest."   
  
"I  _did_ sleep," Diana moaned, grabbing the dark-skinned woman's arm to rest it by her side. "I cried and slept and cried and slept ever since I got back. And now I don't feel like crying or sleeping or anything!"   
  
"Diana..." Sandra started, her voice full of sympathy, but before she could offer any more words of condolences, the other girl leaned up, eyes still red from her endless weeping.   
  
"I mean, we...we were supposed to go out to  _eat,_ Sandra! To  _eat!_ Just a quick date!" Diana lamented, her voice rising, "I literally spoke with him right before his class! And...and..." Her mouth hung open as she gesticulated with her hands, trying to find words that took time to come. "Just... _how!?_ How the hell am I supposed to believe this? All of this!? And I...I can't know because...I can't because..."   
  
Sandra, with patience and completely understanding, just watched and listened with concerned as her best friend vented and grieved, unable to offer any words.   
  
Diana was usually a very happy and laid-back girl, who rarely was outwardly sad. Even after knowing each other for ten years, she couldn't really recall her ever crying. Usually, any extreme emotion she showed were mostly positive ones, like her happiness when the two of them got into the same college together, giddiness when her sister was born, and her excitement when she announced she was in a relationship with the guy she had eyed for months.   
  
But now, that very same guy, who was attending the school that had been attacked yesterday, couldn't be reached no matter how hard she tried.   
  
"And I just  _don't...know."_ Diana said sorrowfully, eyes looking to her feet.   
  
Sandra let her friend take an uneasy sigh and pulls her legs up on the bed before she pulled her into a hug as much as she could.   
  
"It'll be okay," Sandra soothed, rubbing a hand down Diana's back in a comforting motion. "It'll be okay."   
  
For the next two minutes, nothing but the sounds of the television and early birds chirping could be heard, as Diana uncurled to return her friend's hug.   
  
An unknown amount of time had passed between the two, the two friends just hugging each other in a warm embrace.   
  
When they parted, Diana's eyes were brimming with tears again. "Thanks Sandra. You've just been looking out for me since...then." Diana told her friend apologetically. "I've just been weighing you."   
  
"No, and don't ever think you have." Sandra reassured her friend, before standing from the bed and offering her hand to pull the girl up. "Now then. I was going to say that you should listen to your parents."   
  
Diana took her friend's hand while wiping the forming tears away with the other. "Sandra, you know I can't just leave here."   
  
"They're super worried about you, girl," Sandra reminded, referring to when her mother had called to check on Sandra and to ask her to come back home. "I mean, they know you're okay but still...it's not good for you to be here. This close to... _'it'_ and all, you know that."   
  
"But what if he comes back?" Diana asked, grabbing her shoulders, "I mean, if he comes here and I miss him and, well th-"   
  
 _"Diana,"_  Sandra's voice cut her off firmly, forcing the other girl to look her straight in the eye. "I know what you're thinking and I understand but...he has your number and everything. He'll call if he's okay. Besides, it happened too far from here to get here by foot." the other's girl's features softened immensely, "And besides, it's probably best to see your family. _Go._ Assure them in the flesh. You need to be around people who...who you know love you and will comfort you."   
  
"You know I love you Sandra. My best buddy in the world," Diana said with a weak but genial smile.   
  
"And I love my best friend in the whole wide world too." Sandra replied, giving her a bigger smile. "But right now, your family should really see you. Plus, you know I won't be here for a bit, right?"   
  
"H-huh?" Diana stuttered, eyes growing wide. "What?"   
  
Sandra sighed. "Dee, you know everybody's kind of moving out. No one thinks it's safe to be this close to the school. I mean, I know we're not that near the school or the giant but...it's just too risky to stay in this city." Sandra glanced out the window. "A lot of people already booked outta here already..."   
  
"You're going back to your Nana and Grandpapa?"    
  
Sandra nodded. "They blew up my phone yesterday. Just as worried. And...since we don't know when classes will start again, we shouldn't stick around here."   
  
Diana blinked before looking out the window as the sun rose.   
  
Despite everything, she knew that there was truly nothing she could do. Corona College was blocked off, and the military was clear that nothing was permitted to go there. Even calling them proved ineffective, as the lines had been so busy, she couldn't get a single call in. She'd try again, she knew. But nothing could be done at the time being, this she knew. And while Sandra was such a wonderful friend, she knew that she needed to see the faces of those she knew could help her more than anyone else, her family. Her loving parents and four-year-old brother.   
  
Home.   
  
"Alright," Diana sniffled, "You're right Sandra. I'll head back. I think I need to."   
  
Sandra patted her best friend's shoulder.  "That-a girl!" She cheered, clicking her tongue. "It'll be alright."   
  
Diana merely smiled weakly, eyes still bleary.   
  
Diana let her hand slink off her roommate's shoulder.   
  
"Go get something to eat. Whenever you're ready, I'll help you pack."   
  


\----- 

There was a deadly silence over the crowd, who stared at the three colossal beings that rose higher than anything in there small town. 

"S- _Survivors?_ " a trembling voice was heard, only made possible by the quietness. From who, Miranda did not know. 

The giant with vermilion eyes smile grew wider, as he looked down at whoever had spoke. "That's right. Survivors! Congratulations!" 

Raising a hand to point downwards to the people below, he hovered his finger above the crowd as he went on, his voice was loud and booming and echoed all around them. 

"You see, all of you here have proved that you actually  _can_ clearly listen to instructions when given. Isn't that just  _swell?"_

Someone screamed. And then more people screamed. A growing cacophony of shouts and screams sounded all around, causing the giant's grin to drop. 

People began to run, in every direction. Several people made a break for their cars, while others began to run on foot. Pandemonium of the likes Miranda had never seen was happening right around her as people rushed past her, legs churning and slipping and moving. But Miranda couldn't move. She was frozen in her spot, just looking on as the giant stared down at the scattering people around his feet. 

Looking slightly annoyed, the giant merely glanced at one of the twins flanking him, who seemed to understand the nonverbal order and reached to his side. 

A gun with a barrel the size of a cannon materialized in his hand right before he took aim. 

A jet of solid, blue light shot out of it as fast as a bullet, landing a mere three feet in front of one of the furthest men. 

The man fell down in shock, as the giant took aim once more, aiming ahead of the people getting the furthest away. 

Again and again, the blue light would discharge from the gun, leaving smoldering craters with each impact with the ground. The screams reached an all time high as people began to retreat away from the blasts that circled them, people back peddling to avoid the searing light that scorched the Earth around them. As the lasers drew in, the people returned towards the center. Miranda witnessed one man barely avoid a shot by mere inches, falling to his side before bear crawling towards the town hall building, falling in a heap. 

After a few moments the giant holding the laser dropped the laser to his side as it became apparent that everyone who had tried to run off had been herded and returned to the vicinity of the town hall, the three-story building that barely reached any of the giant's knees. Smoke rose from the dozens of holes that were now spattered across the ground.

Crying, wailing and gasping could still be heard all around Miranda as the formerly fleeing people were now pressed against each other. Miranda was still in shock. 

The giant with vermilion eyes had crossed his arms and looked pointedly down to the frightened masses. 

"Don't go running off right when I congratulate you all on  _not_ running off," he chastised, "Seriously, I was even complimenting you guys too. That's just digging yourself deeper!" The giant uncrossed his arms before his smile returned full force, "Now then..." 

The giant with vermilion eyes began to kneel down, an action that looked absolutely terrifying as though a building were falling forward. But the giant was steady as he got on one knee, the impact of it hitting the ground sending out a quake, as he regarded the relatively tiny, quivering beings in front of him. "I see some clarifications are in order." 

Miranda's head turned robotically to look behind her, to see if her friends were still there. 

Genevieve had her mouth covered by her hands, as she stared in absolutely, teary-eyed horror at the giants. Franny was also staring in total fear, but her hands were pressing her children's shaking bodies to her in an attempt to shield them from the sight of those terrible beings. She looked back at the giant, who now held the full attention of all 818 people around. 

"I'll start with my name," the giant began. Even in a kneeling position, he made the town hall building look like a dollhouse. "I am Vexer Meran. My buddies call me Vex for short. But  _you all,_ on the other hand,  _will_ address me as  _'sir.'_ As will you address these guys too," the giant informed, gesturing to the twin soldiers who were still standing on both sides and also glowering at the scared congregation. 

"As of today, each and every last one of you are now officially property of the Siras Colony." the gigantic being, now known as Vexer, informed them. "And these two, nine of our companions, and I are going to be overseeing that you do as you're told as our new charges." Vex raised an open hand to give a single wave and shrug, "Now, to be frank with you, I don't really get the point of keeping you guys around, but you see, our leader doesn't want to waste any precious resources. That..." he said, lowering his arm and smile growing wider, "...includes you guys."   

The silence was still there, with only whimpers and silent sobs emitting from the tiny humans that cowered. 

Vexer, face slightly shadowed from the angle the sun rose, continued on. "This area where your town resides will be made into one of our bases of operating. And  _you_ are going to help with excavation and minor functions once everything is in order. From now on, you all will work until deemed necessary for you to stop and will follow our commands to the letter. If you refuse to comply...well, there is a reason we called you all  _survivors."_

Hushed whispers spread through the crowd, panicky in tone and barely discernible from Miranda's position. 

But she did hear Gen, in a voice so airy, murmur, "What does he...?" 

"After all," Vex said, more than aware of the crowds' growing fear, "It seems that  _most_  of you weren't dumb enough to leave the town or stay behind. Everyone right here, who can hear my voice, is alive, unlike those who aren't because they just didn't listen." 

It started out small, but as the realization of the meaning of what the giant said began to sink in, a sound of cumulative fear and despair erupted from the crowd like a flare. 

Miranda's lower lipped quivered as she heard short breaths that were vaguely words come out of her mouth that she didn't understand. Nothing made sense anymore, like she was dreaming. But deep down, she knew this was all real. A reality that was made inescapable. 

The giant remained unperturbed by the screams, smile still on his face. "Now, now. I'm not quite done talking yet." And with a single clap that reverberated all around them, the noise died down. "So yes. Everyone who isn't in this area is, or  _has,_ been taken care of by my buddies at work. Despite our generous warning, they thought it was a good idea to wander off when we specifically gave you guys a message not too." Vex let out a insincere sigh, "And now we need even more replacements than before. What a shame." 

Somehow, Miranda managed to hear her voice. "How could you...?" 

Miranda turned her head to look at the source of the words, gulping. 

Gen, her hands no longer covering her mouth which revealed her clenched teeth, was looking at the giant with eyes of pure, unadulterated hatred. A look that seemed too foreign on her normally attractive features. Blood was dribbling down the side of her lip for but a moment before she swiped her finger across it as she took a step forward. 

"How dare you..." she spat acidly before her voice rose to a roar,  _"HOW DARE YOU!"_

__Vexer seemed to have heard her as he turned to look at the young woman who looked him straight in the eyes from far below. He looked mildly surprised to see a human actually challenging him, and merely blinked. Gen, shaking with not just fear, but honest fury, took several steps away from Franny, who looked as though the younger woman sprouted an extra head, and continued forward.

Alarmed, Miranda reached over to grab the marching woman's hand. But just as she managed to wrap her fingers around her small wrist, with surprising strength, the woman yanked it out of her grip and kept going forward. Her eyes, with a mix of sorrowful and angry tears still streaming downward, were scrunched in anger as her hair flowed behind her in the wind like a tattered banner. Not once did her eyes leave Vexer who watched the woman approach him as she went through the stunned crowd like the parted sea. 

"How dare you do this...to us? Take people away  _from us!?"_ Gen shrieked, her steps even, "To demand control of our lives? You have no right!  _None!"_ Her words had rose an octave before she went on. "My fiance...you, you didn't even know his  _name_  did you? Do...do you even  _care?"_

__"Ah, I see," the giant responded, grin now nearly splitting his face. "So someone you knew didn't listen then? How sad."

"You  _monster!"_ Gen screamed, her voice furiously shrill. Miranda was now the one cupping her hands to her mouth, struggling to fathom that the woman who was yelling at the giant with vermilion eyes that hung over her, surrounding her, was indeed her friend. "All of you!  _Murderers!_ You heartless sons of bitches! Bastards! You should all just d-" 

Gen didn't get the chance to finish what she was saying when the giant quickly lifted his arm and reached for her, cutting her off. The people around her quickly got away from her as the enormous hand swiftly plucked her up. 

Miranda watched in horror as Gen was lifted high into the air by the fingers that were as long as many people were tall. She screamed the entire time during her ascent until she was held before the enormous eyes before her, an orange hued gleam shining across them as his face was framed in an expression of amusement. 

"What's your name, little lady?" The giant asked, smiling brightly. 

It seemed that whatever anger Genevieve had before had disappeared in an instant, as she looked back at the enormous eyes that were now closer and bigger than ever. Now that she was so close, the precariousness of her situation dawned on her with piercing severity. 

"I asked you a question," Vexer told her, and while his voice still sounded friendly, a veiled threat was unmistakably heard between his words. 

Genevieve gulped, tremoring between his fingers. "G-G-G-Gen...G-Genevieve." 

Against all possibility, the giant's already wide grin grew even wider, teeth shining in the light. 

"Well Genevieve, thanks for coming up." 

Standing up, the giant returned to full height, taking Gen up with her. Miranda's teeth were chattering as the giant shifted the howling woman into his palm. His eyes went from the woman in his grasp to the terrified townspeople below.  
   
"You see," Vexer said, briefly eyeing the woman in his hand before looking back at the gathering below, "Genevieve here has done something that usually won't be tolerated from here on. A lot of somethings actually." His eyes once again landing on the woman who was beginning to hyperventilate. "Talking back. Insulting usQuestioning our motives. Disturbing the peace. You see, that's not gonna fly. Not one bit. Oh no no no."  

Miranda's legs wobbled under her, a muffled bleating sound barely escaping her mouth as she watched the giant hold the young Ohioan above. She was too far to see her face, but she knew her friend was probably scared beyond all reason. 

"So, these kind of things will get you in trouble," Vexer said before addressing the woman in his hand, "Did you know that Genevieve? That you're in trouble?" 

The woman who was trembling heavily in his palm jumped at being spoken to before desperately looking around, not knowing whether to nod or shake her head. 

But Vexer put the words in her mouth. "Of course not," he taunted, "After all, you wouldn't have if you had took a moment to think about your position now, wouldn't you?" 

Gen could no longer form sentences, it seemed, as she would open and close her mouth, but nothing would come out. 

"No, you wouldn't," the giant clarified, taking in the woman's fearful movements with glee, "But you know what, that's okay. Because now, I get to show you something. From up here."  

He lifted his free hand to point to something on his left. "Now take a look to the left, my little loudmouth." 

She did as instructed. From her position, she could see for miles, completely unobstructed as no building in small town Lorettsville even reached five stories. Her eyes landed on something strange immediately. 

A small house, alone with the exception of the many trees surrounding it, including a trail of fallen and broken ones that formed a huge, ruined path, was missing its roof entirely. Even more strange was the fact that there was a dark, charred hole that went from one side of the house to the other, as if something went cleanly through it. Everything between it was reduced to nothing but ash. 

Her heart sunk. She recognized it as Bill Reeves home. 

"You see that, little lady? You want to say anything about  _that?"_

She turned to see that giant's eyes were hard, blistering and cool at the same time. 

The woman was incapable of making any utterance of defiance, as she was regarded dispassionately by the giant that held her. 

"I was going to make you an example,  _buuut..."_ he said, nodding to the roofless remains of a house to his left, "I preemptively made one. But I'm not afraid to make another if you want." 

Miranda was shaking so terribly now, that she was sure the world was moving with her. It was all going to b- 

A gunshot rang out. 

And everyone, including the giants and Gen, looked at the source. 

Twenty-nine year old Brett Williams, had always been an impulsive, hotheaded man, not particularly known to be necessarily bright. But as a man who lived by a strong sense of justice, usually his heart was in the right place. But sometimes he acted too rashly and without thinking. A case of a man controlled by his emotions. The tall, bulky, blonde-haired man, covered in various tattoos, was pointing his pistol at the giant in red giant, who quirked an eyebrow in his direction. 

"Let her go!" He yelled, his finger still on the trigger. "Put her down right now!" 

And then he fired five more rounds, the bullets hitting his target. 

But Vexer made no indication that he'd even  _felt_  by the bullets, let alone been hurt by them. 

The giant's face was blank for a moment, as he unconsciously lowered his hand holding Genevieve. 

Then, he started snickering, before it turned into a full blown laugh that echoed loudly for miles around. 

Many people, including Gen, had to cover their ears from the vocal onslaught. 

The twin giants were regarding their supposed leader with a bit of confusion, as he continued to laugh uproariously. 

This lasted for a few moments before he, now chuckling, lowered himself to deposit Gen on the ground. The moment she felt the grassy path below her feet, she scrambled away from the giant. 

His attention was no longer on her, however, as it was settled on the man who still held his smoking gun to the giant. His pupils were now vertical slits.

Brett's angry expression faltered as he watched the giant's own countenance turn from mere amusement to manic excitement, right before he slowly took a step towards him. The people below were wisely, if not instinctively, rushing out of the way of the enormous boots. With merely three steps, the giant was upon him 

Brett pressed the trigger again and again, but there was nothing but clicking. He was out of ammo. 

"You...you complete  _dumbass!"_ Vexer said, out of actual excitement rather than anger. "You...you actually tried to  _shoot me?_  With that tiny-ass pea-shooter?  _Really!?"_    

Before Brett could say anything, the giant pinched the man's wrist between his fingers. The largely muscled man was only given a nanosecond of trying to pull himself free before he was lifted into the air like a ragdoll, the gun falling out of his hand and uselessly to the ground. 

"What's your name, slugger?" Vexer asked, perfectly mimicking an early twentieth century New York accent. 

"Brett," the man answered, his voice no longer as rocksteady as before. While he still was looking the giant in the eyes, as much as he could anyway so close to his orange-hued eyes, he looked like a toy dangling in between the large thumb and index finger that were painfully holding his wrist.   

"Well,  _Bretty-Boy,"_   the giant sneered. "I see that you won't be winning any Nobel Prizes or intelligence contests in the near future, but I got to give it to you, you really have some guts. More than brains most definitely. So, thanks for volunteering in her place!" 

"N-no,  _wait!"_ Brett began to plea, but the giant cut him off by wrapping his hand fully around him until he was hidden from sight of the terrified onlookers. 

"Now that you've decided to be my example, how bout' I  _show_ you what how I dealt with the first one!" Vexer exclaimed before wounding his arm back in a frighteningly accurate portrayal of a baseball pitcher, smile splitting his face, "It's best that you take a closer  _LOOK!"_

__And with that, he threw the blonde, screaming man forward, sending him soaring through the sky, spiraling at escape velocity.

Miranda heard herself, as well as many others, scream as Brett Williams went through the sky like a shooting star, a now black speck that could barely be seen. 

But apparently that wasn't all as Vexer, vermilion eyes leaving the flying dot and signalling something to the same twin with the laser. The twin hurriedly raised his arm, gun back in his aim, and fired. 

The torrent of blue-white energy hit it's mark, encasing the falling form of Brett. 

And then, Brett was no more. 

"Oh my God!  _Oh my God!"_

_"BRETT!"_

__"This isn't real, isn't real, isn't real..."

"They killed him! _They actually killed him!_  Oh God,  _they killed him!"_  

"Mom! What's going on!?" Miranda heard Nick's muffled voice call.  

"Don't look, you guys.  _Don't look!"_

__Amidst the frightened outbursts, Vexer calmly dusted his hands, as if he hadn't just thrown a man clear across the horizon and had him vaporized. So he spoke once more, the outbursts were drowned out by his overpowering voice once again. "Well, I think I just proved my point. So, let me reiterate for you folks."

And then, Vexer's eyes glowed brightly, a ghastly light illuminating those under it. All the mock warmth in his voice was gone when spoke, his tone hard as stone. 

"I consider myself a patient person, but don't mistake this for weakness. We are not here to befriend or negotiate with you. Nor are we going to tolerate any level of blatant insubordination or disrespect. The only reason why most of you are alive right here and now is because we have found a trivial use for you. But this doesn't mean you are  _not_  expendable in our eyes. We  _will_  cull those as we see fit, and won't hesitate to do it again and again, even if it means we have to wipe every single last one of you. You are no longer in control here.  _We_  are."  

After a moment of unbelievably terse silence, the glow of the giant's eyes began to fade, but the nightmarishly thin vertical pupils were still trained on them. Miranda was completely convinced that she was going to faint. 

"Now then," the giant said, his voice becoming amiable once more, "First order of business: I know for a fact that twenty-three of you toons are carrying firearms on you right now. You're not going to need them from here on out, mkay? So..." lowering himself once more, this time, lying a hand onto the ground palm up. "Deposit." 

People stared at the fleshy platform, expecting the enormous hand to shove forward and grab anybody that was too close. 

But after a few seconds of inactivity, Vexer said, "Now now, you guys don't want to witness a repeat of what happened to  _Bretty-Boy,_ now do you?" 

A noticeable shiver went through the crowd and, as the giant predicted, the twenty-three armed compatriots went forward, as if they had their tails between their legs, and approached the hand with trepidation. Earnestly and wordlessly, they tossed their guns into the center the giant's palm, practically running away from them and the hand the moment their weapons left their own hands. 

When twenty-six guns were in his hand, the giant nodded. "There you go." 

And, like it were an afterthought, the giant formed a tight fist. The sound of crunching, crackling metal could be vaguely heard before he dropped the mesh of weaponry behind him, as if throwing a used gum wrapper to the wind. 

"With that taken care, let's get started." 

\----- 

Seron was mainly quiet for the most part, looking away to respect the humans' privacy as they talked. 

Rachel whispered to Jonah, in case the giant could hear her, "What happened? Did they do anything to you?" 

Jonah shook his head, still thinking about the multiple conversations he had with the giants earlier. "No, not really. They just...explained some things. As much as they could anyway." 

Her eyes widened when she asked, "What do you mean?" 

Jonah looked down to his feet before meeting Rachel back in the eye. "I mean. They keep saying that...that I have some guy's... _Arum's..._ DNA and that...well...it's not over." 

"...What's not over?" Rachel asked, lips parting to form an open frown. 

A wave of unease swept over them like a cold front. Jonah had a distinct impression that, despite their low voices, Seron could hear them perfectly. But he obligingly went on. "That this... _this..._ what happened at Corona...in the forest...it isn't over. And that I...I don't know anymore. Rach, this is all just so crazy!" 

"Tell me about it," Rachel said, rubbing her arm nervously. Despite the fact that Seron was politely averting his gaze, body turned away from them, his large presence sent a shiver down her spine. "I don't think that...I can get this at all. Right now, I just want to go home. I really do." 

Jonah wrestled with the decision in his head before deciding to answer honestly, "Rach, I, um, I heard that they need to make sure it's actually, well, safe for us to go back. I don't know when that'll be, for either of us, I mean." 

"I apologize for interrupting," came Seron's voice, causing the two humans on the table to jump. They looked up to see Seron watching them from the corner of his eye. "But, I might be able to answer for Rachel's case. Most likely, Rachel may be able to return home without much disturbance. She was captured merely because she had been close to you when Terez abducted you." He said before looking away once more. "As such, given she was a normal bystander and has no information of the whereabouts of the Key, I doubt she'll be targeted." 

"O-Oh," Jonah sputtered, reaching back to rub his neck. "That's good news, I guess." 

"However," Seron said, not looking at them, "That is what I merely think. Commander Regis will have to make the final assessment. Also, no decision can be made until Zelleron returns." 

Rachel stared at the giant for a moment before turning away. She walked to the apple she left near the small berth. "Sorry, I'll go finish eating now." 

Jonah watched her walk off, reaching out but lowered his arm once it was evident that she wasn't looking behind herself. "Um, alright then. You...do that." 

As Rachel went back to resume eating, Jonah gave a reprimanding look to the giant, who looked at the boy just in time to see it. Both Jonah and Seron jumped, with the giant turning away quickly. Before he did, he could have sworn he saw a look of...guilt? Shame? Embarrassment?     

He never got the chance as the hydraulic doors opened, with Zel, carrying something pearly white and ovular, in his hands. "I'm back!" 

Rachel stopped eating the apple, and Jonah and Seron looked to see the medic approach, setting down the contraption on the other side of the table as carefully as possible, to not jolt the two humans. "It's been quite a bit since I had to use this. Think the last time I used this was four decades ago when we had to make sure the Curxenjins didn't have any more venom sprouts on them." 

Jonah didn't even bother to ask exactly what was the case of what happened back then, eyes merely trained on the weird, cylindrical machine. "What is this?" 

"This...," Zel said, placing a hand on top of the white, cone top of the machine, "...is one of our most advanced DNA sequencers. Used to scan alien beings below, uh, what measurement do you humans use again? Meters? Yards? I think you guys have several height measuring systems, don't ya?" 

The medic shook his head, and tapped on the machine again. "Never-mind, I'm getting off topic. Sorry about that. Anyway, this is used to take into account the biological data for people and species around your size! with this, we can get to the bottom of things, and put this " _Jonah and Arum"_  thing to rest!" 

"Great," Jonah said, smiling, "So what do I do?" 

"Well, first of all, I just got to configure it so it can read human DNA. Luckily, we have samples for when Seron and Kivit were on Earth some time ago." 

"Who's Kivit?" Jonah asked, looking to Seron. 

"He's one of the soldiers aboard this ship." The bigger giant answered. "You might get the chance to meet him in due time." 

"And once it's been configured, you just need to walk in the machine...," Zel said, using two fingers to make a walking motion, "...and then we can scan you thoroughly to make sure all this confusion gets sorted." 

Jonah grimaced. "Will it hurt? Do I have to draw blood or pee in a cup before going in?" 

"Oh  _noooooo,"_ Zel assured, already rapidly inputting something into a data pad attached via wire to the side of the machine. "Absolutely not. Nothing so messy. All you gotta do is walk in. It won't hurt you, I guarantee it, but you might feel a little prickly and staticky for the first couple seconds. It's a weird feeling, but goes away real quick." And then, with a few taps on his data pad, Zel smiled brightly. "There! All set!" The medic looked down at the boy giving him gentle smile. "Whenever you're ready Jonah." 

Jonah blinked before looking at both Zel and Seron, who were looking back at him expectantly. He then looked back at Rachel, who, while a bit of a distance away, seemed to share the same look of anticipation. 

Steeling himself with an inhale, Jonah stepped forward walking to the machine. 

There was a step to climb in, which Jonah did just that before suffering a small bout of hesitation. After a second, he walked in, a green casing pulling up the moment he was fully in the cylinder. 

"Now Jonah,"  he heard Zel say, his voice slightly muted by the green glass around him and outside surroundings now appearing in green. "This will only take a minute. So relax, okay?" 

Jonah, swallowing a lump in his throat, nodded to signal that he heard him. 

Zel returned the nod. "Alright. I'm starting up the machine." 

And then, after three seconds. a series of yellow rings formed around him. They circled around them just as the machine began to hum from under his feet. 

Like Zel had said, his skin began to feel oddly prickly for a moment, in which he couldn't help but involuntarily shudder. But just as quickly as the feeling came, it began to taper off, allowing his skin to relax. The yellow rings began to move up and down, illuminating whatever part they passed over him in a golden light. it was when the light intersected that it died down and just span in place. Jonah had stayed as still as he possibly could the entire time, entranced by the process. 

After what had to be almost two minutes, the machine stopped completely, with the green casing opening once more. 

"Okay, you can come out now," Zel instructed cheerfully, eyes not leaving the data pad in his hand as Jonah stepped down from the machine and walked towards the medic. 

"That was freaky," Jonah admitted, looking around himself to see if he didn't sprout an extra eye or a tail. 

"Ha, trust me, you're not the first person to say that!" Zel said with a short but genuine chuckle. He was about to say something when his eyes widened at the stream of alien words coming up on the data pad. He rose an eyebrow before scrunching his face in confusion. 

Jonah was alarmed. 

"That's...odd..." the medic said, his voice trailing a bit as he used his finger to scroll down the readings. 

"What is it?" Jonah, and surprisingly Seron asked simultaneously. 

Zel, eyes looking at certain points on the data pad before going to the machine right before going to Jonah, looked bewildered. "It's...hard to explain." 

"Just give us the gist if you can," Seron instructed, also quite alert. 

Zel was quiet for a moment, taking a sweeping glance to look at all present before he spoke, "Well, uh...according to...according to these readings, well...Jonah, you are  _indeed_ human. That's...that's for certain actually but..." 

"But...?" Jonah asked, no longer needing to be inside the machine to feel his skin become prickly, goosebumps breaking out on him. 

Zel went on, glancing to and fro from the human to the data pad in his hand. 

"But..well...you see...it's...Arum's...Arum's DNA is well...it's overriding  _your_ DNA and...you're...you are being read as literally  _half_ of Arum." 


	11. Chapter 9 Part 1: Weirder

The ubiquitous humming of machinery did nothing to underscore the rising unease that made itself more present than ever before.  
  
Zel was still, gripping and looking down he tablet in his hand dubiously, while Jonah just stared back blankly. Both Seron and Rachel were equally quiet, as if still trying to make sense of what the medic had just said. It was a moment before the silence was broken by the teenager in question.   
  
"I'm...I'm sorry but... _what?"_ Jonah asked, his demeanor seemingly between that of horror and confusion.    
  
Zel's mouth quirked into a small frown as his mouth opened, as if to say something before it closed itself without a sound, his eyes still looking down puzzled at whatever was on the screen. A second later, it seemed that he was able to gather his rather inchoate thoughts. "Well...it's...it's complicated. I mean, you're not  _exactly_ half of Arum, it's like you have two...but...you're showing...well..." the medic let out a tiny anxious laugh. "Just...hold on, give me a second, it's going to be a bit hard to explain."   
  
"What  _exactly_ is going on?" Seron asked, his tone was even, but his eyes looked perturbed as they settled on the doctor.   
  
"I'm sure it's probably an error or something," Zel replied in a vain attempt to mitigate the worries of those around him. "I mean...he is human. That's for certain but..."   
  
Rachel watched as Jonah began to take uneasy steps backwards, instinctively reaching her hand towards him but lowered it as she saw the bemused expression on his face.   
  
Both of the giants seemed to take note the boy's growing bewilderment, and Zel was quick to talk. "Uh...alright, let me explain it in as much of...um...how do you say... _layman's terms_  as possible since this is pretty confusing."   
  
The raven-haired, gigantic doctor took a pause before speaking. "So...um, do you know how dominant and recessive traits work? Like how you have dominant and recessive genes, right? Well, of course there is much more to it than that but...you understand, right?"   
  
"Continue," Jonah urged a bit more strongly than anticipated, catching the medic off guard.   
  
But nonetheless, Zel went on, "R-Right. So, in actuality there is a lot more to genetics than that but...so far, you get the fact that usually many physical or inherent traits are determined by combos. Like how the you can have brown eyes but be a carrier of green eyes and so forth. I mean, that's basic and all that but...you see, in your case..." Zel dallied for a second before going on, an apparent nervous habit. "In your case, you're holding genes that, by all means,  _shouldn't_ be found in humans at all. Like...the gene that holds for our eye color or the gene that makes up for fingerprints. We may be similar to humans in appearance, but we do differ in many ways in our biological makeup. It's like a cat carrying the alleles that would work for a dog. It doesn't work that way. Which, by the way, you still have your parents, well...human DNA...it's just that you have...a whole set of Arum's DNA that appears to be...inactive."   
  
"That's..." Jonah began to say, but swallowed. While he wasn't exactly a biological expert, he remembered enough about genetics to know that even something like that was nearly unheard of.   
  
"And that's not all," Zel added, tapping at his screen, which was still faced away from the student, "But...ever heard of Deramatide?"   
  
"Deramatide?" Jonah scrunched his eyes in confusion, "What the hell is that supposed to be?"   
  
"I figured as much..." Zel replied, sounding concerned. "It's a nucleobase that is apart of  _our_ DNA. One of the six strands of it, our nucleotides I mean..."   
  
Rachel, to everyone's surprise, was the one to speak up, drawing all eyes on her. "But...humans only have four. Cytosine, guanine, thymine and adenine."   
  
"Exactly," Zel concurred with a nod, still slightly taken aback from hearing the blonde teen speak, "Which is why things aren't adding up. What shouldn't be there is...well... _there._ But while it can be read in our scanners, the thing is...it's just there! Like...so far, it isn't functioning. And it isn't affecting you in any way. At least...most of them aren't."   
  
 _"Most of them?"_  Jonah's voice rose nearly half an octave. "What do you mean,  _'most of them?'_ I thought you said I was human."   
  
Zel's discomfort was apparent as he spoke. "Well...yeah...the thing is...you are definitely human...on paper, as you humans say. Your biological makeup consists of everything that makes you human. Which makes this all the more weirder. Especially since...Arum's DNA, which shouldn't be apart of any human makeup, is present and replicating and...not doing anything. In any other case, you'd be..."   
  
"Changing?" Jonah offered, eye brows furrowing.   
  
Zel visibly gulped before he slowly shook his head. "...No. Not changing...you'd be...you'd be... _dead."_ Zel grimaced as he glanced once more to the data pad in his hand, _"_ Or...um... to be more precise...according to these developments, you shouldn't have been alive at all. At least, as you are now."   
  
Jonah's mind went blank as he looked up at the medic who bore an expression of sympathy and regret, more than likely not have wanted to unload such information on the still healing student. He felt jittery and cold. A haze of anxiety swelled up in him and for a moment, he forgot he wasn't alone.   
  
"But the thing is, you  _are_ alive," Zel added quickly and reassuringly, putting the data pad down to the far end of the table and leaning down to level himself with the human as much as he possibly can, placing his chin and hands on the table to offer him a smile, which went completely unnoticed by the teen as he stared forward. "You are alive and walking and talking! And...well, while I don't know what's going on...with why you have Arum's DNA and all, but that's why we're here, right? Trying to figure this all out?"   
  
Reaching out a massive fingertip, Zel lightly used it to pat the boy on the shoulder, which caused him to leave his stupor and look at the massive appendage before the medic withdrew it.   
  
"So Zelleron..." Seron cut in, causing Rachel, Jonah and Zel to look up, "Do you think that Jonah is Arum?"   
  
The medic returned to an upright position and looked back down at Jonah, whose eyes looked as though he was beseeching him for a true answer before looking back at Seron.   
  
"No," the medic said clearly and almost stately, a huge turn around from his usually awkward demeanor. "I don't believe Jonah is Arum. Or vice versa. While he has some of Arum's DNA, which we have no idea why or how, he has original human DNA and makeup. Jonah is primarily human. And also..." Zel said, eyes softening, "If he was, he would have changed back long ago, or would at least would have been able to recall something about the Key."   
  
Seron's stoic face faltered slightly. "I see. Then we haven't really achieved much."   
  
"I disagree," Zel replied affably before looking back at Jonah, "I mean, we discovered that Jonah has Arum's DNA, meaning that we're getting on track to something."  
  
From the table, it was weird to see the two converse. They rose so high above him and Rachel that it was hard to not feel like some sort of doll or toy near them. Yet the way they regarded him was of such high calibre, it made him feel so out of place.     
  
"Jonah," he heard the medic address him, causing him to look far up at the medic who had placed his hand on the table. It was hard to not think about how easy it would be for the medic to scoop him up on a whim. And that he was literally talking to someone the size of a building.  
  
"I know it's been a bombshell of a day. With everything that's happened and you getting caught up in it. So...well, I know what I might be asking might be a bit, well...much. But...is it okay if I can do more scans on you? And...I'm pretty sure that Seron and Commander Regis have more questioning for you and all. But we don't want to hold you prisoner. So, um...if it is alright," the medic's smile waned slightly. "Would it be okay if you could stay here a few more days? A least until we have more to go on."   
  
"If you do that...," Seron added, "...then we can probably try to figure out what happened to Arum and the Grand Centurion's Key. If we can do that, we can probably prevent the Siras colony from making any more advancements on Earth. And, of course, keep them from coming after you." Seron shifted his head to look at Rachel, who flinched. "Rachel, we can send you back safely probably as soon as two hours from now if you wish. I can send one of my men to return you as discreetly as possible."   
  
Rachel met Jonah's green eyes, which were wide yet resigned, as if pleading for her to go. After all, she was just a bystander, who got caught up in the crossfire. She had no place in this intergalactic maelstrom, nor did she want to be involved.   
  
But she couldn't, for the life of her, turn her back on her friend, whomever he may be. Not after all this.   
  
"No," the blonde said with the shake of her head. "I'll stay here. That is...if Jonah's staying."   
  
"I'll stay," Jonah said with a dip of his head. "At least until you guys can figure out what's up with me. And if it'll make the other aliens back off of Earth."   
  
While Seron's expression remained neutral, Zel offered a wan smile. "Thanks. I know this isn't how you wanted things to be. For either of you."   
  
Jonah arely spoke above a whisper, "There's a lot of things that I never wanted things to be. But that seems to be the direction my life is heading," his voice was entirely melancholic, "...far from where I ever wanted it to go."   
  
"Well, if its any consolation, you really are a lot more helpful than you give yourself credit for." Zel told him, "And since we have the both of you on board, maybe we can alleviate some of the pressure. Maybe learn more about you guys in person, talk about culture...and, if either are feeling up to it, maybe we can introduce you to some of the other people on this ship. Kivit and Ferana have been  _aching_  to meet with you two."   
  
"Uh..." Jonah trailed, trying to imagine being in the presence of more giants.   
  
Rachel's response was surprisingly immediate. "Not yet."   
  
"Oh, uh...okay," Zel said sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck. "I understand why you guys are pretty apprehensive. We are pretty big to you humans, huh?" Zel grinned with a bit more enthusiasm. "Well, if you change your mind, let me know. For the time being, you'll be under both Seron's and my care. We'll arrange things for you...y'know, to make you guys more comfortable."   
  
Seron nodded before taking a step forward. "I'll have Kivit set up their stations. Zelleron, send a report of your findings to Commander Regis when you can."   
  
"Will do," Zel responded promptly yet cordially watching as he walked through the bay doors. "But I'll try to send as much collective data as possible after we do some more scans. Just in case anything's amiss."   
  
"Alright," Seron replied, his tone ever so placid. "I trust your judgement. I'll return as soon as I can."   
  
The doors shut behind him, leaving the medic and college students on the table.   
  
Zel turned around, sitting down in his chair as the teens looked up at him. He immediately became more placid upon meeting their eyes. "Usually, I'm supposed to ask questions regarding...well, everything, but...I don't think now's the time." he turned the datapad in his hand face down. "So, before I send the report in,...well...to get your mind on a more positive direction, is it okay to ask a different sort of questions?"   
  
"Questions like...?" came Jonah's slightly hesitant voice.   
  
"Just about yourselves if...that's okay and all. You guys can...um, shut me out at any time," the medic said with a wave, before smiling. "Like, uh...family? Er...hobbies? Goals? Favorite things?" Zel lightly gripped the table. "We've been hovering over Earth for ten years. We've been researching and learning about your cultures, languages, history, technology...all kinds of things. Some of us, me included, have even, heh, picked up your ways of doing things...I can go on. Like your Doctor Who shows and Natural Geographic."   
  
Jonah's eyebrows quirked up. "You...you watch TV?"   
  
Zel beamed and nodded. "Yep! Shows in English, Spanish, Chinese, French, Korean, Japanese...action, romance, thriller, comedy...I'm really into human culture! Well...er, pop culture. I mean, I like a lot of your cultures as well, and...well, I could go on and on. But..." The medic's eyes became even softer. "I've never really  _met_ a human in person until...well...you guys. I mean, I haven't even set foot on Earth yet. I really want to but, well..." he pointed to himself, obviously to signify his towering height, "I think with our, er...different statures, it'd be pretty hard to interact with anyone or anything without a little cause for alarm. Even Kivit told me he could only spend a few minutes in a forest at a time since he kept knocking trees down. So...gah! I'm rambling again." he smile dimmed before he raised his other hand and started tugging at his fingers anxiously. "I...uh, I'm pretty chatty. Sorry."   
  
Taking a deep breath, which sounded odd to the human ears belonging to the two below, he meekly went on. "Is it okay...if I can just...well, talk to you guys? Learn from a native's eye view of things? About you?"   
  
After an uncomfortable moment of silence, Jonah saw Rachel give a single nod. Feeling rather obligated after seeing her silently give her approval, he slowly said, "You can me ask anything."  
  
Zel lowered his in a flourish before giving them a grateful nod. "So um...if I recall correctly, you guys are both students right?"   
  
"Yeah..." Jonah said, feeling slightly relieved at how mundane the question was. there was a visible release of tension as his shoulders slightly lowered. He turned and saw Rachel, who merely nodded. "Same university, but we both studied different majors."  
  
Zel merely kept and smile, obviously trying to calm the two humans.   
  
"So...what did you guys study?" Zel asked genially before backtracking, "I mean, you guys don't have to tell me if you don't want to or anything! Or...um, if you don't feel like talking...that's um...how do you say, er-cool! That's cool I guess. I just...kinda..." Zel said with an anxious smile.   
  
"It's okay, really." Jonah said with a halfhearted smile, "I...I need to get my mind off...well, I mean a breather. That's all. Breather questions like these are fine." Letting out a sigh and raising his uninjured arm to rub the back of his neck, he went on. "I'm a political science major. I plan to see if I can go for a minor of some sorts though, in some language. Probably Spanish...I, uh...I don't know."   
  
"And I'm a Biology Major," came Rachel's voice, surprising the medic, who apparently hadn't expected for her to respond. But it appeared that was all she had to say, as she didn't elaborate.    
  
Nonetheless, the giant medic seemed positively elated by their responses. "Wow, those are some tough fields! I mean," glancing towards Rachel who still regarded him warily, "I know a bit about biology, since...well, I'm a medic and all, but I still need a refresher from time to time, especially with species different from ours. But political science..." he turned his head slightly towards the male human. "That just sounds like something hard to even wrap around for me. Anything political really."   
  
"Heh, well...I wouldn't really consider it hard by any stretch," Jonah replied rather unenthusiastically, "If anything, its mostly terminology and history so far. But I'm only in my second year so I don't exactly know if it'll get tougher." He said before gesturing towards the blonde next to him. "If anything, she's the one taking on all the tough shit.   
  
"...only because our cell biology professor really sucks." Rachel mumbled, with the faintest hint of humor. Although the life didn't return to her eyes, he was able to catch the edges of her mouth quirk up into a brief and imperceptible smile that vanished far too quickly.   
  
"Yeah, well so does Dr. Weiss." Jonah said, sounding rather mentally exhausted. "He's...he's..."   
  
His eyes drooped.  
  
It seemed like no matter how hard he tried, his mind stirred up the memory of the hysteria. It was hard not to, after all, it hadn't been a day since it all happened...had it? How much time had passed? Several hours at least, not nearly enough to even attempt to  _not_ think about it.  
  
Dr. Weiss had also been in that building at the time of Terez's arrival. While he had never really known the professor outside of his studies, he couldn't help but wonder if he had survived? Hell...would it even be possible to return to school? There was no way he could go back...he couldn't imagine it. No doubt, Corona wouldn't be open any time soon after all that. And even when... _if_ it did, would he be able to go back? How would everyone see him. After all, Terez had came strictly for him. Would everyone who knew him...knew of him...heard about him...   
  
How would they see him?   
  
How would the  _entire world_  see him?   
  
His family...his girlfriend...his friends...  
  
Rachel was apprehensive and suspicious of him...and they had been friends for years. Would he be able to return to having a remotely normal life? Would all this deny him the chance to live out his days peacefully?   
  
Worst yet...if everything went wrong...would there even be a world for him to return to?   
  
Commander Regis's clear warning still hovered over him like the Sword of Damocles.   
  
 _"The Siras Colony is relentless. They **will**  attack, without any inhibitions or mercy._  
  
His parents...Diana... his friends...everyone in the world...   
 _  
_ _"If the Siras Colony have their way, your entire species would be eradicated within weeks."_  
  
Wiped out...killed...exterminated like insects. In the name of a cause literally out of their boundaries and control. And they would probably never know why.   
  
A heaviness had surrounded him for some time, never once truly disappearing. It's weight shifted every day, but its clutches still held firmly on his back, with it now coming down on him, with him barely able to hold it up. The impasse with his father...the attack on the school...the alien threat over their heads...and whatever role he played in it. He suddenly felt like he had changed places with Atlas. But bound to collapse under it all.   
  
Zel quickly picked up on the teen's mounting anguish, his eyes going wide in instant regret. "Oh no, I'm so sorry! I'm truly sorry I didn't mean to bring up something up to make you feel...uh..."   
  
"It's okay," came Jonah's hollow reply. "The question was innocent enough. I just..."   
  
The door behind them opened, interrupting Jonah midway.   
  
At first, he expected it to be Seron returning back, but the irritable voice that he heard come from the other side of the sickbay immediately said otherwise.   
  
Aliens words spoken were burgeoning out loudly across the room in a obviously displeased tone as the newcomer practically stormed towards the medic with heavy footfalls that sent tremors up to through the table the two humans were standing on. His silver eyes were blazing while he clutched at his right shoulder with one hand, the other clenched into a tight fist by his side.   
  
Zel didn't look phased as  _another_ giant, who hadn't noticed the two humans on the table it seemed, seemed to talk, or rather, complain judging from the tone he was using, at length at the medic. Absolutely nonplussed at the sudden change of events, Jonah and Rachel could only stare up at the new titan who, upon closer inspection, was actually wincing a bit.    
  
It was until the medic held up a hand and gestured towards the table, did the new giant look down at them, his face immediately morphing from agitation to completely dumbfounded in an instant.   
  
"Oh...uh..." was all that came out of the new giant's mouth as he blinked at the sight of the two equally shocked humans.   
  
The medic lightly pressed against the new giant's shoulder, whose eyes didn't leave the sight of the new giant. "Yeah...um, you'll have to see Hiris about that. I'm kind of in the middle of something. Which, um...I can't help you at the moment."   
  
"Uh, I see," the stranger responded in English. His eyes didn't leave the two humans on the table, who were beginning to become antsy under the unwavering gaze of the new giant. "Sorry, I thought, well...our guests would be with Seron and...not here."   
  
Rachel took a few steps back as Jonah began to look uneasily from the medic to the new giant with ever mounting trepidation.   
  
Realizing how uneasy his presence was making the two humans, he quickly backed away from the table with a bit of a start. "Sorry! Sorry! Didn't mean to make you guys uncomfortable. Or to barge in on whatever you guys were doing! I thought you two would be with the lieutenant general and...well, now I know why the hall was pretty empty."   
  
Jonah didn't say anything and merely looked the new giant up and down. This new giant, a couple feet taller than the medic and dressed in what Jonah was identify as the standard blue uniform that Seron and the hologram of Arum wore, had dark tanned skinned, in contrast to his fairly pale. His eyes were a thistle purple, very unearthly bright and fairly sharp. Even more outlandish was his relatively short hair, which was platinum white; if there was one quick lesson Jonah was beginning to learn, was that earthly eye and hair tones didn't apply to these aliens whatsoever. But even then, the most distinct feature seem to be the long scar that ran across the bridge of his nose. It was nearly impossible not to stare at it, but Jonah forced himself to look away.   
  
The medic gave a single cough to get the new giant's attention. "No offense Derivo, but...uh, I don't think they're ready to see other traxians at this very moment."   
  
The new giant, now known as Derivo, gave and single nod of understanding before looking back at the students who were evidently growing antsy every time he looked down at them. "I got it. I'll uh...I hope I can get to know you two later on. Sorry for the interruption," he apologized before looking at the medic who looked slightly worried, "I'll talk to you later about it all. Which, by the way Zel, I swear, if I have to so much as have to talk to that stupid  _vingelsiat_ one more time, I swear I'll shove my foot up his ass that he'll taste what he had for breakfast when I pull it out!"   
  
"That's...not a pleasant visual, Dev," the medic commented with an expression of disgust.   
  
"And neither is he. But..." the giant gave a cursory glance around the infirmary before sighing and looking at both Jonah and Rachel, whose eyes hadn't left him once. "I guess I should get going. Sorry for scaring you all. I hope I didn't give a bad impression," he then frowned, "I bet I did, didn't I?"   
  
When he received no response, mainly due to the fact that both humans were a bit speechless, he grumbled. "Yep...sure did. Dammit."   
  
Straightening up, the giant turned around and began walking towards the door. "I'll head on down to Hiris's then. But you know she'll be angry at me once she finds out how I hurt my shoulder."   
  
"You shouldn't have tried to pick a fight, y'know?" Zel scolded gently with a smile.    
  
"He shouldn't have picked the fight with  _me."_ Derivo growled as he made his way out the door. "See you."   
  
The doors automatically closed behind the silver-haired giant once he passed through the threshold. All three of the infirmary occupants stared at the door for a moment before the raven-haired giant slowly turned around and looked back down at his two wards. "Sorry about all that. Usually, he's one of the patients assigned to me but...well...you guys said that you kind of aren't ready to see others like us so...yeah."   
  
"What...was that all about?" Jonah asked shyly, finally finding his voice.   
  
The medic reached for the data pad he had previously set down and opened something up on it. "That's Derivo. He had a...a bit of a hot encounter with one of the communication officers here." He tapped something on is pad for a brief moment before setting it back down. "Nothing for you guys to worry about."   
  
"Will he be back?" Rachel asked, rubbing her arms with her hands. "In here, I mean."   
  
"Not for some time unless he gets  _really_  injured." The medic replied, scratching at his cheek, "Sorry he gave you both such a scare. He's a bit of a stubborn hothead...but he means well! Honest! I mean, he's kinda reckless and all, but he's a good guy if you get to know him."   
  
"I...I don't know if I'll be here long enough to want to get to know him," Jonah told the medic, unsure if being bluntly honest was a good idea.   
  
"Well, I can understand how you feel about that but...that may be kind of hard in the long run."   
  
Jonah grimaced a bit, before asking, "Why?"   
  
Zel gave a pensive glance to the data pad before looking back at the human. "Well, mainly because he's the one who pinpointed your location in the first place."   
  


\----- 

"Another call for you Major Walker." 

Lucas didn't bother to hide his weariness as he let out a protracted sigh and turned with tired eyes to look at one of his men holding the phone in his direction. 

He barely had any rest during the night, having to answer calls after calls, one after another, almost without stop until two o'clock in the morning. He was now operating on three hours of sleep, with his wits barely intact after spending so much time answering questions he had no answers to. He was pretty sure that he wouldn't be able to get adequate rest today as well. At least until there was an avenue to figure out exactly what and who they were dealing with. As weird and grossly inappropriate as it sounded, he was beginning to envy the giant's position, who was getting all the induced sleep as possible. 

"Who is it?" He asked, blinking away his dreariness as much as he could. Heaven only knows he could kill for a shot of coffee. 

The soldier, more than aware of his commanding officer's tiredness, answered promptly, "It's Major Hernandez. He wants to have a quick chat with you." 

"Better be quick," the New Yorker mumbled before taking the phone out of his subordinate's hand and placing it against his ear. "Morning Hernandez." 

In response to his flat response, the voice on the line said,  _"God, you sound tired."_

 __"And so do you. How's the situation with the father and the school?"

 _"As you'd expect. The guy's asleep now. I think he pulled an all-nighter, probably too worried about his kid. We still plan to question him though once we get the chance. But from we're gathering, there seems to be nothing hinting he was involved in this."_

 __"What about Rachel Grant's folks?"

 _"Richard questioned them last night. They also don't know anything either. Plus, from what I gathered from the students, their main target was Jonah only...they think. Ferdinand said that she had ran out the closet that the three of them were hiding in when Jonah first ran out and she followed to chase him."_

Lucas let a yawn before he replied, "So she was just caught up in this? Great..." he glanced down at the papers and portfolios on his desk. "So there's  _still_  nothing we can do. Until we find at least one of them." 

 _"Maybe not. That's why I'm calling."_

His eyes twitched. "Oh. What's this about?" 

 _"General Merider was contacted my the Minister of Foreign Affairs. They're sending one of the top extraterrestrial researchers on board. He's on his way. To your area."_

 __"Wait," Lucas took pause. "Extraterrestrial researchers? That's actually a thing?"

 _"More like...theoreticians, from what I heard. Trust me, I'm just hearing all this out for myself. But yeah, he's coming over."_

"Right now?" 

 _"As we speak. From what I heard, he's still on route. His plane should touch down around three hours from now."_

"But why Foreign Affairs? Shouldn't it be like Area 51 or something?" 

 _"Funny. But no."_ Hernandez responded dryly,  _"He's British. And until yesterday, everybody thought he was some raving nutjob. But apparently he's the one of the few people in he world considered...qualified...at least, to him. By the way, his name's Rupert Denan. Just wanted to let you know before Merider does."_

"That's so last minute." Lucas mumbled, not expecting Carson to have heard it. 

 _"Probably for him too. I mean, his flight had to be around eight hours so...but time differences and all that."_

 __"Well, whatever. If Merider's going to let me know, then I have to wait for him to get here?"

 _"Well...that's not all."_

 __Lucas's mouth twitched. "What's the matter."

 _"There are reports that a couple military satellites that were downed just yesterday. Technicians are thinking that they were actually hacked."_

Suddenly, Lucas didn't feel so sleepy. "You've got to be kidding." 

 _"You have a literal giant stuck in a crater not too far from where you're standing. You honestly think I'd be joking?"_

 __It should have sounded like a joke, but Carson's tone was grave, something out of character for someone who was usually known for his levity and jocular personality. But with the very sudden turn of everyday, formerly realistic events, and lack of rest, he could understand why he didn't seem to be in high spirits.

 _"I don't like this Lucas. Any of this. No doubt that whatever that alien giant **thing**  is, there's bound to be more of them. And I don't think they're coming in peace. We...we need to find Jonah and Rachel as soon as possible." _

"Who are you telling, Carson?" Lucas responded, the dark undertone of his voice, "You said it yourself: we're right next to the crater with it. And you won't believe the friggin' devastation around it.  Or maybe you can..." Lucas clenched his jaw in frustration before talking once more. "That Rupert guy. Is he  _really_  supposed to be an alien expert or something along those lines?"          

Hernandez was quiet for a moment before his voice was heard on the other line.  _"How am I suppose to know? He's not even here yet. Hell how_ could  _I know? Since, y'know, before yesterday, the only aliens I thought we'd see would be E.T. or...hell, even Zoidberg. Never in real life. Plus, he's an extra terrestrial theoretician which AKA I thought meant a conspiracy theorist time I checked."_  

Lucas had to smirk, "Well, we're kind of grabbing at straws here. And besides, after this, I'm willing to believe anything at this point." 

 _"True,"_ came Hernandez's one word commentary. 

Before Lucas could get the chance to terminate the call, he heard Hernandez say,  _"Be honest with me."_

Lucas kept the phone by his ear, waiting for Carson to go on. 

 _"If...if it comes down to it...do you think we'll hold? That we'll stand a chance?"_

Lucas's eyes darkened. 

With the very little to go on, he knew the answer to that. 

After all...he was realistic enough to know that life didn't work out that way in the movies. 

"We need to find Jonah and Rachel," he emphasized in an even tone. "We need to find them." 

That was apparently enough of an answer forHernandez it seemed, as he responded.  _"Gotcha. I'm breaking contact."_

And then, with a blip, the phone went silent. Lucas gave the phone back to the soldier that brought it, who excused himself out of his tent. 

As much as he craved sleep, it was evident that it was becoming the least of his problems. 

\----- 

"Thanks for helping me pack." 

Diana, who had quickly freshened up and looked a bit more put together, loaded the last of her suitcases into the back of her car before reaching up to shut the trunk. 

Sandra placed her green bag in the backseat of her car, which was already filled with countless items like her keyboard and gigantic teddy bear. It took some effort, but with a mighty push, she was able to get it in there and close the car door. With a relieved huff, she turned towards her roommate. "Anytime Dee. Maybe this might have been too much though." 

Diana shook her head. "I don't know. You're heading out too so I don't feel comfortable leaving all this here. Plus," Diana made her way around the car to her friend. "School will probably be closed for some time. And I can give my brother the bear anyway since its just been taking up space." 

"Heh, but it was a gift," Sandra said with a smile. "Ah well, in any case, remember to call me when you get back home whenever you can, mkay?" 

Diana rolled her eyes, let out a little laugh. "Sure thing,  _mom._ Want me to bring you a little postcard, too?" 

The shared a brief hug before letting go. 

"Don't get cheeky with me, bitch. I'll drive down there myself," Sandra taunted affectionately before taking a step back. "You know I will." 

The shorter woman just shook her head with a smile before walking towards the driver's seat. "You wanna waste your gas money like that? By all means, go for it. Broke ass students like us...I know you'll get stuck in the middle of the road." 

"Goodbye Dee," Sandra said, waving to her friend who began to start the car. "But really, call me. I know...you're not feeling to hot." 

Diana's grin thinned. Her gaze shifted to the steering wheel. "I'm...better than I was yesterday. I...he's got to be okay. I know he is. And...you'll call if he calls the apartment phone, right?" 

"You know I will," Sandra assured, her eyes gleaming under the sun's rays. "I'll call you in a heartbeat." 

The raven-haired girl glasses reflected brightly, but the taller girl could see her eyes brimming with emotion, "Thanks Sandra. You take care and tell me when you head out yourself."

The dark-skinned woman nodded. "Will do. Now get your ass outta here."   
 

"Fine, fine," Diana drawled in a mock pout as she closed the car door. "Stay safe and I'll see you when I can." 

"You too, see you." 

And with that, she shifted gears and began to roll out from the side of the road. She waved back at her roommate as she departed towards the main road, which was only a few blocks away. 

It was until that moment, away from her roommate and best friend, that the tears she managed to keep at bay began to pour down her face like a broken dam. 

 _"He was okay...he was okay..."_ she repeated to herself over and over again. Desperately trying to believe it.

She neatly peeled into the turn and struggled to keep her weeping to a minimum. It was hard to do with the large bear, which Jonah had won for her at the carnival the year prior, still visible in her rear view mirror. There were too many things in her car from him, and it just pained her now more than before.

While it was mostly sunny, clouds were beginning to come in from the far west, encroaching slowly above like an oppressively somber reminder. Thick and gray, rain clouds. 

There was no doubt in her mind that the drive would be, would  _feel,_  longer than it already was. 

Although she knew being out of the town and with her family would be better, she couldn't help but wish she had decided to stay. Maybe just a day longer. Maybe after Sandra had left. She could just go back, right then and now. But she knew her family was waiting...and that there would barely be anyone left in the small college town apartments with everything that was happening. And if she remained there, she'd probably wouldn't be able to Jonah anyway. 

So, with tear-filled eyes, she kept going forward.    

A decision she would soon regret.


	12. Chapter 9 Part 2: Forward

All eyes looked skyward to the giant known as Vexer, whose body blotted out the sun. His voice had became unmistakably authoritative when he said, "Male humans, gather to the left. Female humans, to the right. We're going to start sorting you out now."   
  
Not many people seemed to move, as if too afraid to break away from the others surrounding them. Everyone merely looked at each others, sharing the same face of fear and slight unwillingness. The death of one of their own still seemed nreal, just like the whole situation they were all dragged into.   
  
Apparently, they had been taking too long as Vexer raised one foot, eliciting several panicked shouts, and stomped hard with literal groundbreaking force, sending a seismic wave across the ground with such force, the citizens closest to him had tumbled to the earth with a cry or dragged someone down with them in an attempt prevent their own fall. Where Vexer's foot was had a spiderweb of cracked earth and flattened grass underneath, the ground was pressed down with an imprint and crater where his foot slightly sunk in.   
  
"I'll say it again. In case any of you didn't hear me." came the loud, booming voice from above, laced with impatience. "Men, left. Women, right. Move,  _now."_  
  
This time, the reactions of the people below were instantaneous.   
  
In a rush, many people hurriedly began to move. Miranda was bumped into several times as she made her way to the designated end she was going. After several steps, she was harshly pushed by an elbow from one of the scurrying people in the masses and winced as she was forced to take a step back to not fall backwards. But she managed to keep going and soon, she was among the growing circle of women and girls on the far right of the town hall building, with more women coming up in as fast as their legs could move. On the far end, she could see the the group with men and boys, who were gathering together just as quickly.   
  
She turned around to see the women all around her cowering and trembling, but her eyes widened once she looked a bit further. Closer in the growing circle, was Franny with her two boys. She was cradling them both towards her around the center which was teeming with women. With hundreds of women surrounding them, they were almost perfectly hidden from sight, but for how long? Surely Franny's kids weren't the only boys inside the group. And naturally that had to be the case for the men, right? She began to shake. What would they do if they discovered that there were boys and girls mixed into the wrong groups?   
  
Unfortunately, it turned out that their current captors hadn't let that go unnoticed.   
  
"Figures that some of you worms would think you're slick and all that. There are thirty-one girls in the group of men, and twenty-two boys in the group of women." Vexer stated before he knelled down, looking down at the frightened humans with an amused smile, "Now, now...I understand. Really, I get it. You wanna stick with your families; your mamas and papas and grandmamas and all that, and that's just cute as all hell. But unless you're an infant or toddler, since I'll let it slide since you can barely even walk yet, or really  _are_  deaf, I  _meant_  what I said when I told you all to  _separate._ _"_    
  
And without warning, the giant moved.   
  
With trained quickness, Vexer reached into the group of men and plucked out a young, sandy-haired girl, who looked no older than seven or eight, between his index finger and thumb. Miranda gaped as he watched the girl lift up high enough to see her dangling from the back of her blue and yellow polka-dotted shirt. Her father instantly reached upwards for her as the girl cried out, his frantic arms not even close to reaching his young daughter. She screamed as the hand quickly hovered towards the female group who watched as the hand dangled the crying girl from above. Then, the fingers parted, with the girl falling down. Hands shot up and caught the young girl, who was lowered gently from above the crowd and below Miranda's sight.   
  
But before she could release a sigh of relief, the same hand dipped down into the crowd of women.    
  
And this time, she recognized the voice of Franny's boys, Thomas hollering at the top of his lungs. Miranda herself screamed as she watched as the the young boy was lifted higher and higher above the crowd.   
  
 _"THOMAS!"_ Miranda heard her friend call out to her son, with her other son also calling out his brother's name from out of her sight. Thomas was crying and screaming, his legs peddling in mid-air. She saw Franny jump up as high as she could, arms outstretched to reach her son but he was already too high for her to reach. The hand holding the boy soared away from the group of women and Miranda felt warm tears of fright roll down her face.   
  
Dear Lord, this was happening. It was all real and  _actually_ happening.   
  
The hand holding Thomas stopped above the group of men and let go. To her absolute relief, the hands of men shot up and caught the boy, cushioning his fall. He disappeared from sight as the men lowered the sniffling boy somewhere into the circle before the hand retracted back to Vexer, whose smile had remained plastered across his face the whole time.   
  
"Get the picture?" The red-eyed giant said with a mouth-splitting grinned. "Now, I won't be so nice a second time. S _plit."_     
  
With sobs that even Miranda could hear from her position, all offenders complied. She watched as a few of the crew mixed in, from a teenage girl to a boy who couldn't be older than six, begin to break away from whoever they were with and cross towards their "correct" group. She could barely see Franny and Nick, but she saw her hunched form, no doubt hugging her child as the boy tearfully walked away from his mother and towards the male group.   
  
It took roughly two minutes for them to cross at their own paces before the groups were completely separated by gender.   
  
But the terrible giant wasn't done issuing out orders yet.   
  
Standing up to his full height once more, Vexer's eyes didn't leave the humans when he said, "Now then, time to separate you by age. Kids younger than thirteen years of age, you wait by the sides of the town hall," he said, before pointing to the giant twin who hadn't used a gun. "I'll have Uli here figure out what to do with you little bits later."   
  
The aforementioned young children began to move in the directions of the city hall, with some adults physically urging them to go and some older children taking the younger children by the hand towards the city hall sides. Never had been so afraid for the lives of the children around her and powerless to do anything as an adult. Her throbbing worry began to physically hurt her chest.   
  
Once all the children were no longer in the main circle, Vexer's eyes fixed upon the older generations. "As for you all, Hol and I are going to assess you for your new tasks. Just to let you know, you're not going to have a choice in the matter, if that's what your thinking," the giant said giving a cursory glance at both group's before he gave a tight-lipped frown to the other twin, who in return, gave him a questioning look. "Hey, you told me there were about five to six hundred people under forty. I'm not seeing a full five hundred even. What gives?"   
  
The other giant twin, whose green eyes leveled out under the blood red gaze of his superior, responded anxiously. "That was what the human had told me. He said it was around two-thirds the population."   
  
 _"Tch,_ you humans and your faulty calculations," Vexer grumbled loudly, watching several people him flinch at his reproach, before he looked back to his underling. "Well, screw it. It's nothing we can't fix. Send a crew to catch us enough able humans from outside this town. We'll probably need a good one hundred more to meet the quota."   
  
"Understood," the other giant answered dutifully before before raising an arm to his face, revealing a metal...watch? From Miranda's point of view, it looked to be an enormous watch but...it was literally grafted to the back of his wrist. The giant spoke once more, but this time, he was speaking a garble and mess of syllables, words and phrases that were most certainly not in English or any language she could understand, which wasn't saying much as she barely remembered any Spanish.   
  
After the giant spoke into whatever the thing in his wrist was for a few more seconds in that bizarre language before he lowered his arm and nodded to the more charismatic giant in affirmation. Vexer grinned before he looked back once again at the divided crowds.   
  
"Now then, we should have a good batch in by tonight,"  the red-eyed giant told them before he reached for something in his pockets. There was a seemingly long moment of tension before he pulled out and produced five dark, metallic spheres in his hands. In his palm, they looked to be size of stress balls in relation to his size, but they had to be twice the size of almost any given human there, and much more voluminous. He turned his hand down and dropped them unceremoniously, allowing them to fall to the ground with a hard impact.   
  
But instead of breaking, the moment the balls hit the ground, they began to make a low, mechanical hum as a formally unseen light at the top of them beeped before the sphere's simultaneously began to slightly hover above the ground. The sphere's mechanical humming became louder as they all opened at the center, splitting in half from the middle. The top half of the sphere lifted higher above the lower half on nothing but air, rising to a height of about seven feet before a several lights came down in a circle to the bottom. The former sphere to the furthest right was a bright green, the one next to it was purple, the third one was red, the fourth one was a bright white and furthest one to the left was yellow.    
  
"Form two lines of men, two lines of women." Vexer commanded, watching as the groups of people hesitated for the briefest of moments before they started to sort themselves before he got the chance to forcibly remind them of their position. After a good three minutes, the hundreds of people had formed long lines that had stretched back into the streets, with people looking on in complete dread as they stood in front of the lights that were in front of them. Miranda had found herself a little towards the middle of the line, not too far back but not close up. She shook and watched on as, even in the distance, the enormous beings still towered high enough that it still felt like they stood directly above her.   
  
"The first four of you, step forward." She heard Vexer order and, presumably, they probably did. She was too far back to make out the people in the very front who had been unfortunate enough to be called upon first. His gaze was far down, most likely on the closest people before he nodded. "Alright, step up. Yes, into the machines. Go."   
  
A few seconds had passed, and she could swear that from a distance, she could faintly hear crying from someone far ahead. But it was cut off immediately after a moment before the giant loudly said, "Next." And then, the line moved up.   
  
This happened a few times more times, repeating in the same process again and again. After three minutes; however, Vexer's eyes easily focused on one of the people coming forward. "Man on the left, hold it."   
  
A shudder went through the crowd like electricity, and Miranda's eyes widened.   
  
Too far to make out clearly from a distance was a man dressed in an orange and white construction uniform. It took some squinting, but after a moment, she jumped when she saw the problem:   
  
He was wearing a cast on his arm.   
  
The man was looking up, and while she couldn't see his face, she was sure he was probably panicking.   
  
The giant got to one knee and pinned the man with a mildly interested look. "So, it looks like we got a useless one here, I see. What a shame. Looks like we have to replace you as well."   
  
Vexer began to reach towards the man, who rapidly stepped back and blabbered in terror. "No!  _Wait!_ I'm not useless! I'm not! Please! I- _LOOK!"_  
  
Vexer's fingers paused its approach as the man tore off his cast and threw it to the side in a flurry. She saw the man drop down and get to his hands and toes, and she felt her breath get caught in her throat as he did a quick series of push-ups before he rose back to his feet, looking back up at the giant whose eyes didn't look away. She couldn't turn away as the man, continued to plead. "I'm not...I'm not useless! I'm...not useless...not...useless...please... _please."_  
  
The giant stared at the human for a moment before he retracted his hand. "Alright then, you better keep up the pace. I won't hesitate to do you in if it turns out you can't keep up. Go forward."   
  
The man was far away, but even she could hear the relieved sobbing from a distance. After that, the next four had went forward.   
  
Unfortunately, after the line she was in moved up five times, the giant once again stopped them. "Woman on the right, stay where you are."   
  
That had been her line, and the air had been sucked out of her lungs once more.   
  
She had recognized the woman as Alexis Garner. She was one of the pastry chefs in Brook's Bread store and an acquaintance. She was also pregnant, her baby due in October. Miranda wrung her sleeves as the giant's eyes settled on the trembling woman ahead. "I see you got a bun in the oven," the giant stated casually. "Well that's just great! No, it really is. Now we got a replacement in the making, ready to get in gear in due time." He pointed to the machine on the far right. "You go in that one. Now go on, get going."   
  
The woman did so on wobbly legs, and this time, Miranda could make out the figure heading towards the bright white light. She saw the woman slow down as she neared the white capsule-like light before she unwillingly stepped in, disappearing altogether.   She stared at the spot the woman had been in briefly before Vexer called the next batch of people to move forward.   
  
Time passed painstakingly slow as the line moved forward, people disappearing into the beams of light, one by one by the lines. Miranda gradually felt herself moving closer and closer as the process continued. From time to time, Vexer would stop them to assess a person before pointing them forward. Pregnant women were moved into the white beam, along with able yet elderly beings. Two wheelchair-bound paraplegics were heavily scrutinized before Vexer said something along the lines about, "keeping an eye on them," before sending them forward.     
  
Inevitably, it was Miranda's turn. Upon being this close to the giant that was keeping them there, she couldn't suppress the overwhelming fear that he would simply step forward to crush her like a bug. It was hard to imagine someone so massive that they stood as high as a tower. She couldn't help but tremble as those enormous, menacing orbs the color of blood, making her feel cold before as they looked her over without comment before focusing on someone else. With a short cursory glance to the others as well.      
  
"Go forward." He said, his voice directly above them.   
  
Miranda's legs were so shaky, she was surprised she hadn't collapsed as she slowly made her way to the capsule of light. She couldn't make out anything in it. Just a surge of white particles that was nearly blinding her as she got closer. There was no sign of anyone who had stepped inside. Nor anything that was left of them. She tried to tell herself that it wasn't meant to kill them...that if they wanted to, they could have just done it right then and there without need for all these procedures, but the terror clutched at her heart. It took everything in her power not to turn away and try to run, no matter how futile it would have been.   
  
But she kept moving forward, standing directly in front of the white light until she saw nothing else. The thoughts of her Franny, Genevieve, Thomas and Nick echoed in her thoughts before she took the plunge.   
  
And stepped in before she felt her body become hot and cold at the same time, rippling in all directions until she couldn't comprehend a thing. 

 

\----- 

Beck watched as a helicopter began to fly in from above, a gust of wind from the rotor blades sweeping across the ground sending a flourish of dust and dirt flying in all directions around him.  

The strong vortex of wind made his open army jacket billow in the wind as the machine began lower itself towards the gigantic yellow H on the ground of the mobile helipad that had been prepared for its arrival. After several long and windy seconds, the helicopter's landing skids touched the concrete ground underneath it, the rotors still rapidly spiraling. 

The two men behind Beck saluted but he merely stood and watched as the door on the right hand side of the cockpit opened up, with another soldier coming out before being followed out by someone who was definitely a civilian. 

With solid blonde hair and blue eyes that were squinting under the winds of the helicopter rotors, he looked very out of place dressed in a light blue button down, dark brown slacks and black dress boots. He looked to be around his mid-to-late twenties to early thirties at most. The man carefully clambered down, apparently surprised a bit from the distance from the cockpit to the ground as he hopped a little to gain his footing. 

Once he regained his composure, the man covered his eyes with an arm as he and the solider in front of him, walked towards Beck. 

The soldier promptly saluted, with Beck returning the gesture. "Sir, this is Private William, we've brought him over from the airport." 

"Good work," Beck complimented with a nod before looking at the blonde man who was dusting off his shirt. 

The man straightened up once he realized he had the Lieutenant's attention. The man gave him a bright smile with a single wave before he spoke, his British accent in great contrast to the American ones. "I'll never complain about airplane turbulence compared to the swinging of a helicopter."

"I apologize Mr. Denan for the urgency," said Beck who gave his cue for the other soldier to allow them to move forward. The soldier nodded in return and walked away, leaving Beck, his soldiers and the newcomer. "We know you were basically given barely any time." 

"Eh, don't sweat something like that, soldier. And please, just call me Rupert. So, I'm guessing you're...?" Rupert inquired, letting his voice drawl in wait of a response as he rose his hand. 

"Lieutenant Beck Otieno, sir. Or just Beck. Either is fine," he answered as he raised his own hand and briefly shook Rupert's.  

"Well nice to meet you Beck!" Rupert greeted affably, a bright smile spreading across his face. "I have to say, I never expected to find myself in this situation where I get to meet an American army official in person." 

"I'm no one important," Beck responded humbly, giving him a very small smile. 

"No need to be so modest but I appreciate it," Rupert said cheerfully, "You know, I have never been in the mainland of America before. Sure, I've been to Hawaii once when I was little, but it wasn't for any grandiose reason. Just that my father had work there and we stayed in the Marriott for a day." Rupert's blue eyes suddenly flashed, as his smile became wider, almost weasily in nature. "But for once, it looks like I'm the one on serious business. Who would have thought?"  

Beck's mouth thinned into a straight gash across his face. "Are you really an extra-terrestrial researcher?" 

Rupert, in turn, pointed a thumb towards himself, his smile still broad and wide. "I am now, it seems. Formally a theoretician, but now that we have actual proof, right here in the flesh. Can't say I'm not excited to take a step up." 

"We appreciate your taking the time to come here in these...circumstances." Beck said as he turned to lead the man to his destination, which the Englishman stepped behind briskly.     

  
"No need to thank me for anything. If anything,  _I_  should be the one thinking  _you_  lot for actually giving me the chance to see this giant up close and personal," Rupert responded, as he looked forward, where he could make out the breakaway of the trees about a thousand feet ahead, leading to the massive crater ahead.   
  
"To be honest, Lieutenant Beck," he whispered, eyes gleaming in interest as they made there way to the location of the giant. "While I am truly sorry about what those poor college students went through, the fact that we may actually have proof of other sentient lifeforms from outer space is completely unprecedented." His voice became quiet, the afternoon sun glazing across his face.   
  
"In a way, this is like a dream come true."   
  


\-----

  
"How are you feeling now, Mr. Michaels?"   
  
Daniel, from his slouching position, forced himself to turn and look at the tall soldier who couldn't have been older than twenty-five waiting outside the entrance of his tent. His eyes ached at the sight at the sun behind him, and it took some rapid blinking to clear his vision enough for him to dull it down.   
  
"Not good, if you were expecting anything different," the middle-aged man answered blandly, raising an arm to wipe at his face. "What time is it?"   
  
The soldier politely stepped inside and pulled the flap down to block the blinding sun. "It's a quarter past three, sir. You've slept most of the day away."   
  
Daniel let out a short, dry laugh. "Trust me, I think I just fell asleep after the sun went up."    
  
The soldier stared for a moment before he spoke once more. "Major Hernandez wants to speak with you now."   
  
Daniel scowled and turned away to let out a heavy sigh. Too much time had passed, and nothing would be achieved if he remained in his tent, remaining in his sullen state. It wouldn't help him find his son. With a grunt, he pushed himself off the cot and stood to his feet. His legs faintly hurt and his head was swimming, but he found it in himself to follow the soldier out of the tent and towards the larger one where the major Hernandez was in.   
  
The tent had proved actually to me hotter than outside as the first thing he felt was a breeze as he walked behind the fetcher. Other soldiers were milling about, most engaged in conversations, others carrying loads, some taking inventory while a few were lounging around it seemed. While he was fully aware of the fact that they were entitled to some down time, a pang of anger sparked at the thought of them not doing enough to look for his son. His eyes narrowed.   
  
Apparently, the soldier he was following seemed to have heard his thoughts. "We are on rotation, we're  _still_  looking for Jonah."   
  
Daniel's head snapped forward to see that the soldier was still facing ahead before he exhaled. these guys were a lot more observant than he thought. "Thanks."   
  
"Not a problem," the soldier said before he stopped at a large, dark green tent centered between two trees and gestured towards the opening. "He's inside, waiting for you."   
  
Daniel nodded before obediently walking inside.   
  
He saw the tall, tanned-skinned man sitting on a folding chair with several scattered papers on a wide gray table. Major Carson Hernandez had been perusing a folder before he looked up and saw him standing at the entrance of his tent. He put the folder down onto the table and looked him in the eye. "Mr. Michaels, I apologize for the mess. Still a lot to sort from this mess," said the Hispanic man before he pointed to another folding chair across the table, "Please sit down." I'll have everything ready momentarily."   
  
Daniel complied as he strode towards the seat and almost hastily sat down in it. It was only a few seconds later that Hernandez had scooped several papers into his hands, shuffling them in some sort of order before he stacked them on the table and took his own seat.   
  
"Alright," Hernandez started before looking the older man in the eye. "There's a lot I'm going to ask you, not counting any follow up questions. You know that, right?"   
  
"I'm not applying for a job, Hernandez," the middle aged man said brusquely, "I'm trying to find my son. Ask whatever you need to so we ca find him."   
  
"Then might as well get started," the major said with a nod before grabbing up his pen and pulling the clipboard closer to him. "First things first, we already have all of your information about your background. Age, place of birth, your son's birthday, whereabout in the past few days, social security number, your place of birth, wife's place of birth's, your first wife's place of birth...basically anything about you and your family..." Hernandez tapped at a manila folder to his right, "...right here. So I won't bother with information like that. So far it all checks out."   
  
"...Okay," Daniel said warily. While he knew it was inevitable for his information to wound up in military hands after everything that was going on, it was a bit unnerving to know just how quickly they managed to get things about him. Not that he had anything to hide in the first place as far as he knew. "So, what?"   
  
"So now,  we've narrowed down everything that we need to ask you. And trust me, its still quite a bit. Basically, very specific medical records, identity recognition, and anything you may know about how your son's been acting lately."   
  
The man's heart drooped. To answer that question would just be another reminder of how much of a shit father he had been in that moment.   
  
But Hernandez didn't give him any time to dwell on that before the man essential flung a few pieces of laminated paper across the table towards him. Daniel stopped them with his fingers and he took a look.   
  
The first one was a profile picture of a worn looking teenager with messy, whitish-blonde hair. His eyes were closed and there were smudges on his cheeks and neck. He could barely make out the slightly tattered gray collar which had been wrapped around with...wires? He took a closer look at it, and could only raise an eyebrow.   
  
"That...," he heard Hernandez say, "...is the giant."    
  
Daniel's head quickly turned to the major's in surprise. The major's face was hard as he clasped his fingers and pointed to the picture once more. "He is the one that attacked Corona College and abducted both your son and the girl known as Rachel Grant."   
  
"Your kidding..." came Daniel's shaky voice. The picture of a boy who looked to be around his son's age, who looked to be as if he was a high schooler...there had to be no way. "He...he looks too young. He looks...human."   
  
"Look at the other pictures." Hernandez instructed, mouth pinched in a frown.   
  
Daniel shuffled to the next picture, and nearly threw his head back. In contrast to the first picture, which was that of a head lying on the ground, the next picture had to have been taken in a much more different perspective. Whoever had been taking this picture had to have been inside a dilapidated building, as there was glass surrounding the interior and cracks crawling up the walls. Th window, shattered with sharp edges of glass hanging precariously above, led way to upward angled picture of towering legs that continued to scale upwards into a torso that had to be several stories above, and a blonde, slightly obscured but undoubtedly gigantic head that was looking away from whoever had been holding the camera.   
  
Daniel's heart skipped a beat. He recognized the surrounding area; it had been where he, his wife and son had walked around during open campus. This was from the first floor of the building his son studied in.   
  
He shuffled to another picture, which was much more damning. An entire piece of the wall was actually missing, along with a corner of the floor. The bottom picture was obscured by a blurry shape of brown but it the majority of the picture was clear, sowing the blonde's mammoth face looking beyond wherever the camera-holder was.   
  
He began to shiver.   
  
"Those pictures were taken from eyewitness accounts of the giant's arrival to Wessinger Hall. Some students managed to take pictures of the giant as he was searching for your son." Hernandez clarified as Daniel began to look into the other pictures with growing intensity.   
  
"Unbelievable..." he whispered, eyes focused slowly on the pictures as he continued to go through them. "This... _this_  is what stormed my kid's college?"   
  
Hernandez's eyes lightened slightly. "I'm guessing from your reaction, you don't recognize this being, do you?"   
  
With unexpected forcefulness, Daniel suddenly slammed the pictures down on the table and glowered at the major who sat back up when he heard the other man's voice rise. "Of course I don't! What the hell kind of stupid-ass question is that!? You  _honestly_  think I'd have an idea about some monster who'd attack my son!? What the hell is the matter with you!?"   
  
"Calm down Mr. Michaels," Hernandez said evenly as the other man seethed. "We're not accusing you of anything. But right now, we have nothing to go on, and we're just clearing out any possibilities. I know its unlikely but we just make sure everything's in the clear. Trust us, most of these questions I'll ask you will be questions we've asked from the students in the building at the time."   
  
The middle aged man glared at the major for a moment before he let breathed out slowly. It was roughly ten seconds before he had gathered himself. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry," he apologized before straightening himself once more in his seat. "Please...continue."   
  
"Right," Hernandez said before looking down at a paper to his left, swiveling it around before picking it up to read. "So, let me tell you what we first know about this guy. We only have technical information so far, he said before he glanced down at the paper, "We've code-named this giant the Behemoth for now, BM for short. He's approximately 148 feet tall and we estimate him to be around nine hundred to a thousand tons in weight. Judging from the damage to the school and the surrounding forest area other soldiers are occupying, with eyewitness accounts to back up the former, we believe he is responsible for the majority, if not all the devastation and casualties from what we can tell. He is responsible for the deaths of twenty three people, mainly nine students, two staff members, and twelve officers who had arrived at the scene. There are ninety-five people who are currently hospitalized, with seventeen in critical condition. Most of this is believed to be incidental damage as his main focus was to go for your son."   
  
Hernandez heard the other man suck in a breath before he continued. "We have no information about his identity, origins, purpose, or intentions. We have tried to match up anyone who fits his description and found none. He is currently under heavy sedation until we have a more substantial way of making sure he will be under control. We don't know the full extent of his abilities, as students have proclaimed he can fly and has glowing eyes. Chances are...," Hernandez paused before he looked up to meet Daniel in the eye, "Whatever we're dealing with isn't human. There's even a chance that he may not even be from Earth."   
  
"So..." Daniel said slowly, unable to suppress the quiver in his voice, "So what your telling me...is that this giant...is an  _alien?"_  
  
Hernandez barely dipped his head. "It's...not off the table. We can't completely confirm but...with everything that's been happening, it isn't something we can completely deny as a possibility."   
  
Daniel could only shift his gaze back on the pictures, eyes wide and unfocused and his mouth opened in a nervous, twitching smile. "My son...my son's been abducted by aliens...that's bullshit...what  _bullshit..."_  
  
Hernandez gave an unsure glance towards the man before he cleared his throat. "Nonetheless, this is as much as we know with what we've gathered. We don't know why he went specifically for your son or anything of the likes as to what is goal is with him. And with you right here and your wife still a bit of a distance away, we need to ask you about Jonah."   
  
It was quiet for a moment, the sound of distant chatter and whistling leaves muffled beyond the wavering green walls before Daniel said, "What do you want to know?"   
  
Hernandez readied his pen and paper, "Has your son ever been involved in any criminal activity in the past?"   
  
"No," was the older man's immediate response. "My son's not like that. He wouldn't even steal a ten-cent lollipop if he knew he wouldn't get caught, let alone do anything to the magnitude to warrant  _this_."   
  
The Hispanic man scribbled at the paper. "Does your son travel alot? From state to state? Or ever been outside the country without being documented."   
  
"That's a stupid question," Daniel said blatantly, "My wife's the only one with a passport, but none of us have ever even stepped foot out of the US. Hell, out of Pennsylvania to Virginia, none of us have even been to the west coast yet."   
  
Again, he heard the major write before he asked another question, "Is there anything you know about Rachel?"   
  
"Rachel?"   
  
"Your son's friend. Do you know anything about her?"   
  
The middle aged man sucked his teeth, "Please. That's my  _son's_ friend. How would I know anything about her? I mean, yeah she's nice and all, but do you expect me to know anything about a girl half my age?"   
  
"Just making sure, Mr. Michaels."   
  
"I'm a married man, Carson."   
  
"I know," Hernandez sighed before writing something on the paper again. "Like I said, we're just clearing possibilities. Next question: Did you and your son do anything of note?"   
  
Daniel knew it was coming. It was the question he was dreading the most; not because he wasn't uncomfortable telling the major, after all, it would be to help in any way he could to find him. But the memories were still raw and made his chest clench at the thought of just how terrible he had been in that moment of anger. That, in the worst case scenario, would have been the last thing he had said to his son.   
  
Hernandez's attention had peaked at Daniel's sudden silence. But it was only a couple seconds before Daniel lowly uttered, "Yes."   
  
The major's eyes narrowed squarely on the guilty man. "What did you guys do?"   
  
"We...we had a fight."   
  
"About what?"   
  
"About him...overhearing me."   
  
"What did he hear?"   
  
Daniel's voice came out pained and heavy. "I...I was...I was scared..."   
  
"What did he hear?" Hernandez repeated urgently. It might not be a lead, but he needed any information, no matter how frivolous, to aid in finding any trace of the missing two students.   
  
"I...I said I didn't think he was my son anymore."   
  
Daniel looked up to see the major's mouth quirk. Whatever he wanted to say, he kept it to himself. But he did decide to ask a follow-up question. "Why did you say something like that?"   
  
"It...it was something that I didn't mean in that way, it just...came out wrong. Incredibly wrong."   
  
"Please explain."   
  
Daniel thumped his foot against the ground repeatedly, drained eyes staring at the table surface. "Like...he doesn't really...remember things. And he changed a lot since, well...twelve years ago."   
  
"Excuse me Mr. Michaels, but...  _twelve years ago?"_  Hernandez sneered, eyes incredulous. "Of course he would be different after twelve years Mr. Michaels. Your boy had to be seven! You expect him to act the same after all that time!?"   
  
Daniel looked down at the table, eyes still on the table. Soberly, he said, "That isn't what I meant, Major Hernandez."    
  
The major face scrunched up in confusion before he heard the middle-aged man speak. "You said you have our medical records, right?"   
  
"...I do," he replied before reaching for the manila folder once more to pick at one of the papers behind.   
  
"Look up anything about what happened twelve years ago."   
  
The major complied and searched. Finally finding a specific sheet lined in white, black and and gray, he looked at for a moment, his eyes reading across.   
  
Several seconds later, Carson sullenly said, "You both were involved in some sort of...cliff side accident? _A rockslide?"  
_  
"That's what the doctor told us but...I don't think that's what happened."   
  
Hernandez glanced away from the paper and to Daniel, waiting for him to elaborate.   
  
"It...my son and I were practicing football. You know, how most fathers and kids do. We were in the park, just minding our own business. It was just the two of us since it was cloudy and beginning to rain. But, you know how rain doesn't do anything."   
  
Hernandez remained silent, as Daniel continued to go on.   
  
"Anyway, it was just us too. At the forested part of the place since, you know, it's a spot where no one really goes to. You'd have to go out of your way to find it, and since he was such an explorer, we decided to walk on. Stupid, I know, but I wanted to be a fun dad. Anyway, we're exploring, playing football and exploring some more when...when..."   
  
Hernandez looked up to see the other man clutching his head with one hand.   
  
"You...you see, after that, it gets so hazy. Like, I just remember the two of us just moving forward and shit and then...it's just nothing. The only thing I remember after that is waking up in the hospital with a bunch of broken ribs, a broken leg, sprained wrist and concussion. Jonah had gotten a few scratches and a sprained ankle, but that was it."   
  
"Considering it was an rock slide, you guys are pretty lucky," the Hispanic man remarked. "Your boy barely got hurt and it seems like you took the brunt of the damage, according to this."   
  
"And that's the weird thing!" Daniel nearly yelled, almost causing the other man to jump. "I don't recall even seeing a rockslide! And even worse...I...I think I remember  _something_ falling, but...it wasn't...it wasn't heading for me. At least, I don't think it was..."   
  
"You had a concussion, and the both of you were found unconscious. Your memories aren't necessarily going to be crisp."   
  
"I know, I know but...that's where things get kind of crazy," Daniel rattled, eyes pulsing before he met Hernandez in the eye, "Major, I don't think what was falling was...I don't  _remember_ it heading for me..."   
  
Hernandez's pen stilled in his hand. Daniel swallowed the lump in his throat.   
  
"...It was heading for Jonah." 


	13. Chapter 10: Calm

Rupert gave out a long whistle as he looked upon the prone form of the immense giant that was strapped down with countless Kevlar cables from inside the crater. The sound echoed around the rock walls of the gigantic hole, slightly drowned out by the machinery that kept the giant breathing and rapidly turning helicopter rotors. Many soldiers were doing their rounds: still prepping up more up generators and surface to air missile systems, lowering several crates via helicopter and setting up a second portable science lab in the far end of the hole. The blue sky seemed much more distant due to the dark barricading walls surrounding them like a cavern.   
  
"Incredible..."   
  
Beck turned to the theoretician who beheld the titan in a gaze as if he had discovered a treasure trove. An eerie sense of wonderment shone in his eyes as he looked onto the behemoth. Beck felt uncomfortable next to the man whose eyes shimmered brightly at the very being that had already proved itself to be purposefully dangerous. He became more uncomfortable as the man turned his head to face him, his eyes still twinkling with unbridled excitement.   
  
"What's his name? Do  _you_  know his name? Does he have a name? Stupid question,  _of course_  he does! How can he not? Or does he not need one where he's from? Does he operate as an individual being? A hive mind? Do they have the same concept of morality as we do? Have your scientists managed to find out about him on a biological level? Are you  _sure_  he isn't human? Oh, he looks human! He looks  _so_  human! It can't be a coincidence, can it? On a cosmic scale? Oh how probable is that!? Impossible! Incredible!  _Inconceivable!"_ Rupert's sparkling eyes continued to widen more and more as he continued on as if with a single breath, _"_ Can he eat human food? Breathe our air? See colors the way we see them? Perceive the world in the way we do? Can he?  _Can? Tell me!_  Does he even need air? Oxygen? Nitrogen? Does his bodily functions operate like us? Does h-"   
  
 _"Rupert._ Sir," Beck raised a hand to stop the man during his rapid fire blabber. The man had barely arrived within ten minutes at most and he had already overwhelmed his in such short succession with questions he had no answers for. "We've barely had this... _thing_ in our custody for two days. We have no hard facts about him aside from his height and a little bit of knowledge of his capabilities. The reason we brought you over was to aid in us finding out some things about him in the first place."   
  
Rupert's face remained frozen in his excitement for a split second before his enormous open smile dropped completely from his face. Turn his head away with with what looked like embarrassment, the man let out a single cough before his face returned to a more normal bright look. "I apologize. I got a little carried away there. I'll be more calm and objective from here on out. Still..."   
  
The British man returned his eyes to the giant once more, fascination still painted on his face.  
   
"They weren't kidding when they said he was big. Good lord." Rupert said to Beck, who watched his men still on the move. They had been working around the clock ever since they located the giant's location, with not nearly enough rest. He himself, despite not showing it, was quite drowsy from having very little sleep.   
  
"Around fifteen stories if he were standing," Beck emphasized with a sweeping gaze as he watched Rupert drink in the sight of the unconscious giant. "Definitely bigger than any living thing outside of trees."   
  
"No kidding," Rupert added, his arms flying up and to his sides, "He's huge as all hell! Fragging Godzilla to me even when he's lying down! Unbelievable..." The civilian man said with an air of awe, a smile blooming across his face right before it suddenly scrunched up slightly in confusion. "Although, I have to admit, I am a bit surprised..."   
  
Beck's facial expression didn't change. "A bit surprised is a bit of an understatement, don't you think?"   
  
Rupert let out a short humming laugh before he spoke once more. "Well, yes, I mean all this is surprising and all, with this huge bugger right here in our midst and all that. But that's not I'm quite getting at." The blonde man pointed to the giant's head, which seemed so far away from their position around his shin area. "I meant just how well... _human_  he looks. Like, its just incredible to think about. If he were just a bit smaller, he'd look like any normal human being just like you or me."   
  
The dark skinned man gave a single shake of the head. "Not quite, well...in a way."   
  
Rupert raised an incredulous eyebrow when Beck reached into one of the pockets of his army uniform jacket and pulled out a few Polaroid photos before handing them to the blonde man beside him. "These are a few pictures that some of the students took of the giant back at Corona. Take a look."   
  
Rupert looked at the pictures in his hands for a no longer than a few seconds before he threw his head back in shock. "His eyes! They're... _glowing?"_  
  
"Not only that, but apparently his pupils actually narrow as well," the soldier pointed to his own eyes, widening them a bit for the Englishman man to see, "Vertically."   
  
"That's interesting," Rupert said wholeheartedly before handing the pictures back to Beck. "In a way, I wish his eyes were open so I could see it for myself. Still, my point still stands. He's far too humanoid than I'd imagine any alien would be. I was expecting something more...abstract."   
  
"Like green skinned martians?" Beck asked, placing the pictures back in his pocket.   
  
"Not something so easily imaginable. More like...insectoids with eighteen arms and legs, countless eyes...maybe telepathy or something. Just..." Rupert sighed while hunching his shoulders back, looking at a sweeping helicopter carrying another batch of cargo, "...not something that resembles us humans too much. This makes things much more creepy in my eyes. But...at the same time, I kind of, well, amazed by such a being to resemble us so much to be...existing."   
  
Beck eyed the man for a split second before he looked back at the blonde-haired behemoth. "It is odd," he agreed before changing the subject to the matter at hand, "So, Rupert: First Impressions. What do you think so far?"   
  
Rupert was silent for a moment, eyes still skyward until he suddenly snapped out of his daze. "Huh? Oh. Right. Sorry about that," the man said somewhat sheepishly before he cleared his throat. "Well, first of all, easy stuff: judging from his humanoid appearance, supposed ability to speak, and his uniform, we can definitely say he's sapient. Well, both sentient and sapient for that matter. But you guys pretty much figured that out on your own, did you?"   
  
"Pretty much," Beck affirmed, raising his voice to be heard above another passing helicopter. "And judging from that fact he is wearing what seems to be a military uniform, he's definitely  _not_ alone."   
  
The British man gave an understanding raise of the head. "Yep, basically easy stuff. So, I'm not going to bother with the obvious." Rupert's face suddenly went from affable to serious. "Now, the trickier question I need to ask: So far, what have you guys done to trying to figuring him out without waking him up?" His lips quivered a bit, as the blond's eyes focused in with slight hesitation. "I'm  _very_  afraid to ask but...have you tried cutting him up? From what everyone can tell after the college incident, it's safe to declare him hostile. Asking him is pretty much out the question. So..." He gulped before finishing the question, "...any future plans to... dissect him?"   
  
Beck's expression was slightly disturbed, but his voice didn't show it. "We've tried."   
  
Rupert looked on as Beck elaborated, his eyes focused on the literal sleeping giant. "Do you have any idea how much nitrous-oxide is being pumped in order to keep him down? There would be no way even a thousand elephant grade syringes would do the trick. Not that we hadn't tried when we first tried to before we set up the machine."   
  
Rupert let a snicker, covering his mouth as he let out a chuckle. "Syringes? At his size, it had be like getting acupuncture! I mean, syringes! Really now?"   
  
Beck's reply was far more humorless.  _"_ Yes.  _Really."  
  
_ Rupert's laugh died out in an instant when he saw the lieutenant's solemn frown. "We didn't know if or when the giant would wake up. We need to take any precaution, no matter how impractical."   
  
Rupert frowned before speaking, "I apologize for laughing. I do understand the severity of the situation, but keep in mind: if this giant was brought down hard enough with enough force to create a hole this grand in scale and still be intact, chances are, nothing short of a hundred explosives is going to get through that skin. You might as well be trying to press water out of a stone."    
  
Another helicopter swooped by, close enough for the two men to be buffeted with a strong gust of wind. Once again, the soldier found himself having to raise his voice once more. "In the beginning, that's what we thought but it turns out, his skin isn't all that impenetrable. With a sharp enough knife, we  _can_ cut through his skin."   
  
The blond man's eyes widened, rapidly blinking in surprise.  _"Really!?_ Then...why did you say, you _tried?"_    
  
With a finger, Beck gestured the other man to follow him, who immediately obliged once the soldier started moving. the two silently matched closer to the giant, whose form still managed to loom even more and more over them even though he was lying down. For the first time since he heard he was asked to come abroad to witness this impossible spectacle, Rupert felt daunted approaching the titanic being, whose side still rose a good two meters above his head, his body being a huge wall by itself.   
  
Beck stopped at the giant's hand, a mere foot away from the human-sized (at the very least) ring finger that was planted firmly on the ground, bolted together with the other fingers with rope. Rupert couldn't shake the paranoid feeling that the hand would suddenly lift up without warning and come down on the two men like insects. He shifted his gaze to the dark-skinned man who remained unfazed being near the appendage of the giant, and reached into the inside of his jacket. Rupert looked on for a moment, but his expression turned ghastly the moment he saw him pull out a dark, ebony-colored army knife. The blond let out a squawk when Beck preceded to then hover it over the first knuckle of the giant's finger.   
  
"Hold it, hold it, hold it!" Rupert squalled, grabbing onto the lieutenant's shoulder. "This is kind of dangerous, I take your word for it so you d- _Whatthehellareyouthinking!?"_  
  
Rupert's jaw dropped when Beck plunged the knife into the finger with both hands downwards and was ready to cover his eyes to block him from the sight of the finger reflexively going up to flick them both until he heard a clipped ping. He stared in shock as the knife broke off the handle and fell to Beck's feet. But more importantly, there was a slight sliver of red on the giant's knuckles. Blood.   
  
But then, just as quickly as he saw the it, the wound actually glowed white in an instant before vanishing.   
  
It had healed, as if it was never there to begin with.   
  
"Re... _Regeneration?"_ Rupert whispered in awe, staring at the spot where he had last seen that relatively tiny drop of blood that seemed to just...go somewhere out of nowhere. "Unbelievable..."   
  
Beck leaned down and carefully picked up the broken part of his knife between two fingers. "His wounds heal faster than we can make them. We can't take a blood sample, no matter how hard we tried. Hell, we've used everything from swords to obsidian blades. They'll cut, but he'll always heal, no matter what." Beck lifted his knife for Rupert to see. "This is actually my fourth knife."   
  
"Heavens above! Are you crazy!?" the Englishman cried out before jumping back when the soldier brought the knife closer, "Why the  _bloody_  hell would you keep stabbing away at this guy when you know it won't work?"    
  
Beck lowered the knife to his side, smiling in amusement when Rupert sent him a glare. "First time was before we could sedate him, seeing if putting tubes in him would work. That's how we found out that he had a instant healing factor. Second time was when he was sedated, to see if him being unaware and unconscious would have made a difference. No dice. Third time was just because I was sleepy and because I hate this bastard. Fourth time was to show you."   
  
"Heh, well uh... thanks for the details...and, er,  _demonstration_ I suppose," the blonde said wryly, watching as Beck almost daintily lowered the knife back into its hold in his jacket. The handle was lowered into another when Rupert began to speak again. "In any case, there's actually a fair bit more I'd like to talk about regarding this giant. In particular, just how ready you are to take this thing on?"   
  
"We have been stationing weaponry all around the a-"   
  
"Sorry to cut in, Beck, but that isn't what I meant," Rupert interrupted with a raised hand. "What I meant was, not just him...but  _everyone,_ assuming if somehow they  _all_ have the same agenda in mind,like him?"   
  
The dark skinned man remained silent, his countenance grave as his lips let out a lone quiver. Despite the warm air, he was feeling rather cold.   
  
"Pardon me Lieutenant Beck, I mean no offense but this has to be made clear," Rupert went on, and while he smiled, there was a hint of solemnity in his blue eyes, "You and I both know that it isn't like the movies: the USA or whatever nation swoops in with their best armies, with men fit for the job to take on the evil aliens and win in blazes of glory. Now don't get me wrong, as much as I love Independence Day and that actually was one of my favorite movies by the way, it's just not happening. A strong will and our technology won't be enough to stop beings who are the size of buildings with significantly more advanced technology. It  _isn't_  possible, no matter how much we wish it to be. And trust me, I'm pretty sure the last thing you'll want to do is go  _nuclear._ We can all guess how that'll turn out. Outside of negotiating with these beings, presume that a full on attack won't do much against them, even with all the nations combined."     
  
"I am a realist, Rupert," Beck stated, his dark eyes slightly narrowed, "I'm fully aware we're outmatched in that situation. We're probably outmatched  _right now_  if this giant gets up at any time. But we can't just pack up and leave. Not without answers. After all, the only thing we know is that  _this-"_ Beck jabbed a finger to the giant's hand, "-is our only lead to what we can find out about what's going on. At least until Jonah Michaels is located. If we can get anything about his weakness, or anything about their physiology, we can at least be able to  _learn_ some sort of advantage... I can't afford to be too cynical about our chances. I mean, you came all this way, right? What about you?"   
  
Rupert let out exhale, "Well, trust me, if I can help the human race out in any way, I'm here to do it. But I am just a theoretician, Beck. I've come up with theories upon theories of how aliens would operate, but I'm not an  _expert._ No one on this plan is...as far as we know anyway. Unless this Jonah fellow..."   
  
Beck waited a bit as Rupert trailed off without continuing, closing his jacket to turn and look at him only to find his attention was drawn to the abnormally large, industrial grade nitrous oxide machine stationed close to the giant's head. He continued to stare hard at the machine before he met Beck in the eye. "Say, Beck. You know, on the outside for something... _someone_  that looks human, save for his size and...capabilities, I doubt his internal organs function like one."   
  
"I figured as much, but I know you mean more than that. Please explain." Beck said, pointing towards the science lab in the far corner, their next destination. With a nod, Rupert followed the lieutenant out from of the giant towards the gathering of scientists.   
  
"Well, normally someone this big shouldn't have been able to survive on this planet, given that they would succumb to the square-cubes law. The fact that not only was he able to move about, but as swiftly as he can, means that what ever he's made up of, both on the inside and out, is definitely sterner stuff. Meaning his body operates at a pace where gravity on Earth should have left him unable to move...or suffocate for that matter."   
  
"Our scientists said the same thing," Beck said in response, still walking forward. "That he shouldn't have been able to function at the way he did...the way he  _can,_  at any time of day."   
  
"Not only that," Rupert went on, lifting a hand to his mouth, his pondering eyes focusing on the ground beneath him as he walked. "But he is able to withstand such a blow from...  _whatever_ sent him down here without any external injuries found, and most likely barely any internal injuries. Or if he did, they could most likely heal in an instant, from what we've seen,"   
  
"Completely possible," Beck conceded as one last helicopter passed overhead. It was only until it had soared to the other side of the hole did the young lieutenant hear Rupert's voice, which was quiet, unnerved...and slightly fearful.   
  
"Knowing that...this isn't someone from Earth we're probably dealing with, do you think...your machine is actually keeping him unconscious?"   
  
Beck stopped in his tracks, and Rupert found himself nearly tripping over his own feet to not collide into the other man's back. Taking a second to regain his footing, he looked the slightly taller man in the eye, whose eyes beheld a look of dubiety at the man's hypothesis.   
  
"Do you think the machine isn't working?" Beck asked, his voice low and thin. It wasn't something that was so far-fetched, given what they could go on from everything around him. After all, the real chance that this wasn't a human being they were dealing with, no matter the outward similarities, was growing too plausible and real to deny.    
  
Rupert let out a silent gulp. "It's...not so much the machine _isn't_  working,  _per se_. But rather if nitrous oxide...or any sedative gas or liquid would have an effect on him at all."   
  
The two men stayed still, sharing the same look of growing dread, a short wordless conversation told by their wide eyes right before Beck turned back towards the direction of the science lab with hastened steps, "Share your theory when we get to the science lab. We'll figure it out once we do."   
  
"Will do," the other man acceded from behind, following closely as the scientists beckoned them closer.   
  
Had the two men turned around at all for a during that conversation, they could have borne witness to one of the fingers, the giant's very ring finger that Beck had jammed his knife at moments prior, twitch.    
  


\----- 

Carson's pen remained still between his fingers, still positioned above his report. The wait for his call to reach Merider seemed to drag on into eternity as he waited for the stern voice of the General. 

Daniel had went out to rehydrate and, as a request, get cleaned up a bit before he resumed the rest of the questioning. Hernandez allowed him to do so; after all, while it was apparent he was willing to answer any questions given to him, he would need as much of a clear head as possible to resume. Perhaps it would be enough for him to help him reclaim his thoughts. But before he left, the man had been courteous enough to grace him with details of the location he and his son had been during the rock slide, particularly the name of the park they were originally in before they wandered off, which had been an extreme help towards finding anything out. 

When the middle-aged man had stepped out of the tent, Carson had immediately dialed Merider's number, holding the information he had jotted down on the paper as he waited for the call to be picked up. 

They finally had what just had to be another lead to all this. If what Daniel said was indeed true, they could finally put together at least some pieces of this catastrophic jigsaw puzzle that his men and comrades had found themselves in. While he was unsure just how much of the man's memories were infallible, given that it was said he had sustained a grade three concussion, but none of anything that was happening made sense and it was better than nothing. He had been in the service long enough to know that any small detail always would lead to something much, much bigger. 

A click was heard, and Merider's bland yet stony voice came through.  _"Hernandez?"_

__The aforementioned man unconsciously fixed his posture. "Sir, we might have a lead. We questioned Daniel Michaels and he had mentioned something that might help us finding Jonah or about this blond giant."

Carson could hear the sound of shuffling in the background before he heard Merider respond,  _"Lay it on me. You're on speaker by the way."_

__"Okay," the Hispanic man said with a nod, "I'll get to the point: Daniel Michaels claims that there was more involved in the rock slide incident that happened when he and his son went out past the park grounds."

_"How so? I have their background information right here, at what happened at Greenbrooks Park."_ There was a sound of shuffling paper for a moment before the general's voice returned to the speaker,  _"Daniel was hospitalized with several major injuries while Jonah barely sustained any damage."_

__"The same as my report sir, but that's why what Daniel said is pretty weird, and I have it in writing." Carson pulled up the paper to the face and spoke into the transceiver. "That day, something was heading towards Jonah as well. The kid never should have gotten out of that unscathed."

General Merider was silent over the phone and Carson had to wait several seconds before he received a response.  _"What do you mean?"_

"That's the interesting thing about it all, this is from what Daniel claims to remember from the incident: he says that he remembers something large about to fall on his son." Carson reported, glancing at the spot the other man had sat at, "He doesn't recall it  _all_  being rocks either. Just something. He can't remember anything else unfortunately, but I think this is something really major." 

_"Compared to the large amounts of people lying to know about the giant, as well as the numerous false leads we got from countless calls, I'll take anything the father of the missing says as fact for now."_ General Merider said, sounding intrigued for the first time in a while.  _"But the report says aside from the rock slide, the park ranger hadn't seen anything unusual in the area. Or anything to have caused it."_

__"I know, and that's why I don't know how much of it is the concussion talking. Still, I think it's worth investigating. If we can dig up those rocks some more..."

Carson didn't need to say anymore. He knew the General would follow-up on it the moment the call would end. 

_"I'm going to dispatch a team to excavate the area some more. If we find out there actually was more to this, you'll be one of the first to know after high command."_

"Thank you sir." 

_"What of Daniel? Is he there now?"_

"No, we gave him the chance get a drink and wash up a bit.He should be back in thirty-minutes to resume questioning. I think afterwards, he'll be a bit more clear-headed. Maybe even recall even more once he's calmed down a bit. He was getting a bit emotional." 

_"Understandable. When you finish the interview with him, see to it that I can speak with him. Inform him that we are going to be investigating the park he was in as well."_

__"Will do sir," Carson answered. "I'll also have the report and interrogation recording sent out to you as soon as possible."

_"Excellent. In two days, I'll issue an order for you to join the group with the giant. The local forces will have to deal with Corona for the time being."_

"Alright, if there is any more significant information regarding Jonah or the giant, you will know." 

_"Okay. I will send this to the Secretary of Defense. Signing off."_

Abruptly, the call ended. Carson wasn't surprised however, as his experience under his command had him experience it several times before. 

Carson put the phone down and looked at the empty chair Daniel had been sitting in. 

Most of his military career, for the most part, had been relatively, but preferably bland. As a soldier of the national guard, he didn't really experience the vast majority of battles or strife as up close outside of major riots and hurricanes, something he appreciated about his position. After all, no matter what happened, he was still in home territory.

Now all that seemed irrelevant. 

While the possibility that other nations, or even his own, were responsible for creating this monster hadn't been completely debunked, they were allayed enough for the military to turn their attention towards literal extra-terrestrial possibilities. If he was an actual super-soldier of whatever kind, created by another country still was bizarre too though...why would such a being attack a college of all places for one boy? A being that large would have aimed more towards major official offices or the like. And it was too frightening a thought to imagine that this being had been home grown from his own country.

He rubbed his temples to focus on the task at hand. 

He still needed to ask Daniel about what exactly he meant by Jonah "not being his son." while he was supposed to dwell on it in a detached manner, it was a cruel and disgusting thing for any child to hear, and while he didn't know the context, there was still the spark of anger of knowing that the man that had been before him could say anything like that to his own child, his one and only son. While Carson hadn't had a pristine relationship with his parents, he could never imagine his own father utter such devastating words to him or his brother. Or his mother say such a thing for that matter. 

Nonetheless, he was in no position to judge. At least at the moment. His priority was to find clues about this Jonah's disappearance and he would have to wait until his father returned to the tent before anything else.  

For the most part, he felt that he could at least rest assure that some progress was being made by searching the park of the rock slide disaster for any evidence. 

Something had to come out of this...at least... 

He hoped so.

\----- 

I-95 was fairly congested tended to be pretty congested now at this time of day.  

The vast majority of people were on their way back from work, or for some, on their way to begin their night shift. 

It was three minutes until five, the afternoon sun masked by luminous clouds far above. The ground was still wet from the brief downpour a few hours ago, with the scent of rain and car exhaustion forming a nauseating scent that permeated her slightly open window. Diana grabbed the handle on the side of her car and did a half-clockwise turn to shut her window completely. As much as she wanted air, especially since she had been locked in her spot for spot for several minutes now, she'd have to wait until the cars ahead would move again.

All things considered, she had made great progress travelling down for roughly nine hours, with probably ten more to go. Only twice had she stopped to grab something to eat: the first time was eating in at McDonald's, second time was picking up food from Hardee's. She had taken an hour nap in her car when she had reached a rest stop, while afterwards, buying a couple cups of coffee from the vending machine. For a time, she felt wired, but now, stuck in traffic, she felt the tugging need to sleep pulling at her mind. 

When her family had moved out of state only a couple weeks after she entered college and moved into an apartment with her best friend, she was more then a bit upset. She had lived in the same town her entire life, with the same people and same environment; when she would graduate, she'd most likely have to still reside in an apartment, or move back in with her family to get acquainted with her new location. Even during the summer vacation period when she stayed in the new home for three months, it still felt weird to be in the new house. But so long as her family was there, she'd acclimate in some way or another. Although, the trip back there seemed to be the most aggravating. 

Or it would be if she didn't still have that hollow feeling. 

Dear Lord, she sincerely hoped to God that Jonah was still alive, she kept thinking all day.

In the year and a half they had been going out, she was surprised how little time it took to really become serious. While they both led pretty independent lives, given their college schedules and separate interests, the times when they were together had always been fulfilling in one way or another. Even when summer vacation came, they often talked on Skype, and met up somewhere at a midpoint, usually in Virginia. They weren't exactly openly romantic, most people confusing them for close friends rather than a couple, and they weren't too far from the mark. After all, they both were each other's first romantic partner and aside from what they seen in movies, barely knew the mechanics of being in a relationship. 

He had been a bit shy and awkward. She had been a bit shy and awkward. Although she had made the first move, she didn't know how to proceed from there. But over time, things began to happen naturally, from their first movie night out, their first open and honest conversations to their first kiss. It was hard to believe that it was all happened at all... 

And that those days would never come back again... 

She gave her head a hard shake. 

No. She had to focus on driving. 

At least when traffic would start moving again. 

her music had been turned off and she moved her hand to the play button to rectify that. She needed to hear something outside of her own thoughts. Anything at all, aside from the news station which played the same thing ever since. 

When she heard a song that she hadn't quite recognize play in an upbeat tone, she turned the dial up to a reasonable yet low volume before she let out an exhale. For a moment she just sat back and listened, one hand loosely gripping the steering wheel. 

A few moments later, the car in front of her moved up, and she was ready to put press down a bit on the accelerator until she realized the car barely moved a couple a feet forward. 

She exhaled through her nose and leaned back her chair a bit. She was going to there for a while. 

It was then that it occurred to her that it was probably a good time to call her mother, to let her know where she was and to just hear her soft, soothing voice. 

She grabbed her phone from one of the cup holders between the seats and dialed her cellphone number. While her dad was probably still at work at the time, she was almost positively sure her mother was free, probably having probably picked up Reyna from the daycare center. Holding her phone to her ear for mere three seconds, her call was picked up almost instantly. 

_"Mera bachcha! Diana!"_ Came a relieved and grateful voice over the phone, which allowed for Diana to finally put her mind at some ease.  _"Are you okay? Where are you?"_

"Heya Mommy," the raven-haired girl said, already happy to hear her mother's voice. "I'm okay. I'm stuck on the highway, with traffic and all. Still a long ways away. Probably won't be there until past midnight." 

_"I just wish I could've bought you a plane ticket, or at least had asked you to take the train. If only all this wasn't so last minute."_

"It's okay mother. Really," Diana replied, "I'm fine. Besides, the drive's not so bad after rush hour. And I know how expensive all that can get. I'm good, really." 

_"You are just too sweet but listen...when you get come, I'll have your favorite dishes made once you get settled in. Also, you have got to see how much your baby sister has grown! She's gotten so big since the last time you saw her!"_

Diana let out a small chuckle, "Mom, you've sent me the pictures...I barely have anymore storage on my phone now." 

_"But those are pictures, Dee. Not the real deal. Oh sometimes, I wish we just stayed in the same place, just to stay close to you. Speaking of.."_ Her's mother paused over the phone before her voice came back in a sympathetic whisper,  _"How are you holding up, buttercup? I know you're...handling this by yourself."_

Diana swallowed. She knew it was only a matter of time when her mother would ask, but it still pained her a bit for her to talk about it. 

Nonetheless she did.  

"It still feels...unreal. Like, even now, because everyone leaving the area back at the apartments, it still feels like it's isn't really happening. And, like...at first I thought I was all cried out and all, but the tears would just keep coming every time I thought I was done." 

_"Oh baby..."_

"It's like...I don't know. I mean, Sandra was there to help me and I know that his mom and dad are probably in just as bad a state as I am...probably worse. And it ju-" 

"-ook!  _Look!"_

"-st still feels like its just a realistic nightmare. Not really reality and I ca-" 

"-t the  _hell_ is  _that!?"_

"-n't wrap my head around it. Like at all. We were supposed to go to a rest-" 

"Holy shiiiiiit! What's going on!?" 

Diana cut herself off as she turned her head to look out the window when she heard numerous loud and frantic shouts coming from outside her car. Upon looking out, she was a bit shocked to see several people out of their cars, looking up and ahead, their eyes wide and shocked. There were even more people coming out of their vehicles, yelling and shouting...and several pointing at something above. Something she couldn't see from her position. 

_"Dee? Is everything alright?"_ Her mother asked, sounding very worried. 

"People are getting out of their cars. Like, almost everyone is. I don't know...they're all out there." Diana answered, unable to hide her own growing concern as she turned to look behind her, only to see the two people who had been behind her also out of their own cars and yelling in what sounded like fright. 

_"Dee? Dee, what's going on!?"_ Her mother asked, sounding panicked. Hearing her mother only made her feel afraid. 

"I-I..uh, I don't know." Diana said, her throat feeling dry all of the sudden. "Mom, I...uh, I'm going to step out of the car too. I'll tell you what I see." 

While she still held the phone to her ear with one hand, she unsteadily grabbed the handle of her car door with the other. The moment she opened her door even a bit, the voices were heard with much more loudly and with clarity, no longer muted from the inside. Carefully, she stepped out, not knowing what to expect whatsoever. 

Upon stepping onto the asphalt ad standing up, she looked around to see hundreds and hundreds of people on both sides of the highway standing out from cars, vans, trucks and even a few buses, eyes set in the same direction: towards the sky. 

Slowly and warily, she lifted her head to see what exactly they were looking at. 

In the partially cloudy, afternoon sky, swirling around and around like a one-dimensional whirlpool was a brilliantly bright gyre that was suspended about a thousand feet above the ground. A incandescent vortex that twirled in its place, too bright to gaze upon. A phenomenon she had never seen before. 

Her mouth was agape as she looked up at it, entranced and intensely afraid. The world seemed to be moving, just a bit, but she was the one that was trembling. Her mind shutting down to try to take witness of what she was seeing. 

Slowly, her mother's frantic, desperate voice began to grab her from her stupefied trance. 

_"-iana!? DIANA! Speak to me! Say something! Please! Diana! Can you hear me!? Oh God, Diana!"_

__With a jolt, she remembered that she was on the phone with her mother, who called out for her over and over. The phone was still held to her ear, and she found herself straining a bit to speak.

"M-Mom...there's a white thing in the sky." The teen managed to say, obviously shaken. 

_"White thing!? What's the 'white thing!?' Diana, what_ exactly  _is going on!? Please! Honey, are in you danger!? Tell me if you're in danger!"_

__The raven-haired girl took shallow breaths, her eyes not once leaving the strange, white vortex in the sky. "I-I don't know. I-nothing's happening and everyone's just standing there! I, I don't know what's going on! There's so many people! I can't d-"

Out of the white portal, something... _things_  gigantic emerged out at such a speed, she didn't immediately catch it. But she quickly did when it... _they_ quickly lowered themselves further up on both roads that she could hear them crash on the ground with such force, the ground shook underneath her feet. She looked on, absolutely frozen as the enormous figures ahead, three of them from what she could tell and still easily visible from such a distance from her and her car, began to bend upwards...to stand. 

Rising higher than the two crossing highway bridges ahead stood three impossibly huge beings, dressed in gray, military attire and eclipsing the sun as they reached their full height. The three pairs of eyes, a variant of colors of neon yellow, green and teal, glowed brightly against their somewhat silhouetted faces. They were focused on the countless people around below them, casting a spectral like light all around them as they looked at down at them as if everyone had been placed under a microscope for inspection. 

Diana's felt herself slowly lose feeling in her legs. 

_"DIANA! ANSWER ME! What's going on!? Are you okay!? What do you see!? PLEASE!"_

Diana opened her mouth, not knowing if she would be able to speak or not. 

She didn't get the chance to find out when one of the titanic beings, the one with the golden eyes that practically shone as bright as the sun, spoke in a deep, reverberating voice that could be heard from all around. 

"Alright. Start gathering."


	14. Chapter 11: Taken

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter contains violence and death. You have been warned.

**_Taken_**  
  
The world had been muted.   
  
At least, it seemed that way as Diana looked at those three impossible beings begin their move.   
  
She wasn't quite up to speed yet, despite the ever rising, discordant screaming heard all about and the frantic people that were running all around her. The terrified shouts and noises seemed to only vaguely register in her mind as her shock kept her rooted in place, her eyes fearful but unwavering as they watched the three towering figures come upon the fleeing people who ran as much as they could through the narrow gaps between the increasingly abandoned, trapped cars. The cars that weren't as subjected to gridlock had haphazardly peeled away from the streets to either go into the forested area or skim the railings to squeeze through, with some trying to, and successfully plowing through in a desperate bid for escape.    
  
An unconscious part of her was trying to alert herself of the imminent danger taking place. But it for some odd reason, it was taking much longer for it all to accumulate in her head as something in the bounds of reality. As though she were in the middle of a vivid dream. Or rather a nightmare. It all seemed so surreal and impossible that she couldn't quite grasp everything that was happening in that moment.   
__  
"Is this...real?"  
  
Was this  _actually..._ happening? Right here and now? Was this what those students at the college had seen? What  _Jonah_ had seen? For some reason, her thought processes weren't exactly mending itself into anything logical as she stared on as one of the advancing, gray-clad giants came upon a cluster of fleeing people before promptly snatching them up from below and i-    
  
_"-gh!"_  
  
She was emphatically drawn out of her stupor when a person, in their panic, knocked her into her car door with enough force to crack her car window.   
  
No longer stunned, the sounds all around her came at once.   
  
Her mother was shrieking into the phone now,  _"DIANA! Stay with me! Can you hear me!? Get out of there! Please! PLEASE! Whatever's happening, get out NOW!"_  
  
Despite her mother's voice against her ear, she had been fairly hard to hear past the screeching and wailing of the hundreds and hundreds of people who were running in the opposite direction of the advancing giants, who had spread out some and were encroaching upon entire groups of runners who had been in the forefront of traffic. Many car alarms were sounding in the distance, muffling almost nothing as the ground continued to rumble beneath her.   
  
No longer inebriated by disbelief, she came to her senses, turned around, and ran.   
  
She breath came out in harsh gasps as she tried to speak into the receiver. "I'm running! M-mom, I'm running! Oh God...oh my God...!"   
  
Her mother was yelling something but she could no longer pick up her voice among the amalgamation of resounding madness.     
  
Her stomach was twisting itself into knots as her denim-clad legs churned forward, her shoes scuffing on the wet asphalt. Her breathing was ragged and shallow as her heart pumped almost painfully in her chest. There were people in front of her, people behind her, and the stifling air seemed to grow thinner. She could only go as fast as the mass of cars and stampeding people would allow her, and there was just that for as far as she could see. Arms and hands were pushing into her back against those in front of her, battering her against them, but she couldn't do anything but move forward. Her wide eyes looked around desperately for an opening to get further, which was difficult with so many wildly moving bodies dominating her vision. It was becoming a blur, tunnel vision warping her peripheries.    
  
It had been a miracle when she spotted an empty, narrow space between a couple cars, a green Cadillac and a Toyota truck. The front of the Cadillac was low enough for her to climb onto, and she immediately set her sights to getting onto the hood and leaping across the other car tops to get further. The closest thing to salvation that she could gather in her fear-scrambled mind.   
  
She was quickly approaching it and was ready to cut to her right when she was forcefully collided into by the person behind her, causing her to hit the bumper of the Toyota and fall into the gap.   
  
She hit the pavement hard, the impact pushing out the air from her lungs. Her phone flew out of her hand and under the car, sliding into one of the rear tires and far out of her reach. Her entire back was in pain and pulsating as she wheezed, and she was forced to stare into the sky as everyone pressed forward in a horrific jumble. She laid flat on her back for several long seconds, trying to recuperate. She coughed and tried to lean up, wincing as the sharp spasms erupted along her back. Tears were involuntarily gathering in the corners of her eyes as she took slow, painful breaths in.   
  
She hadn't even fully leaned up when a dark shadow swept across her, along with the sight of an enormous blur of gray and blinding blue flying high overhead like a jet. It passed over her so quickly that she was hit by a strong draft of wind that nearly sent her right back down.   
  
She heard, and  _felt,_  something crash down a split-second later with incredible force that she practically bounced on the still drying ground. Had she not hastily grabbed the front light of the Cadillac, her head would have probably slammed down onto the road. The pitch of the screams rose to an all-time high in the other direction, ear-piercingly loud combined with the sounding of crunched metal and car alarms.    
,  
Through adrenaline and willpower, she staggered to her feet, using the ends of the cars she was between as leverage and looked to her left. Her blood ran cold at what she saw.   
  
One of the giants, the one with the neon yellow eyes and unorthodox dark blue, nearly black hair, had cut off part of the other end of the highway. Having considerably closed the gap, he looked far larger than she initially thought him to be. A set of strangely, luminescent, space-like wings were protruding on his back and stretched out to their apex, casting a shadow for hundreds of feet over the scores of cars and people below. His face was startling neutral as his eyes took in the sight of all the people below, who were clamoring over each other to get as far away from him. Although she was still several hundred feet away from him, she had no avenue of escape as she was trapped in the gap on both sides by the spasmodic flow of people.   
  
Just as the belated idea to resume climbing came to mind, the giant leaned over.   
  
A terrible sensation shot through her as she witnessed the giant's right hand swooped down and snatched up several people in a gigantic, horizontal fist. There were several arms and legs sticking out from between his fingers, and a while she was too far to make out anything clearly, she could swear there was even a bent tire there too. It was hard to tell, as frazzled as her nerves were.   
  
The giant drew his hand up and brought it upwards towards his face. When he had opened it, her heart clenched in her chest when not only did the wheel fall through the fingers, but a person who had been too close to the edge of it as well. Her breath hitched as the unfortunate person fell down from above to somewhere below, more than to their death. The giant paid it all no mind and only kept his eyes on those still in his palm.   
  
His eyes shifted minutely before he looked upwards and, in a voice that was as loud as thunder, asked, "Did he say anything about how many of each he wanted?"   
  
Another voice, from a giant much further away, and yet, perfectly audible above the distressing sounds answered him. "Not really. Just those that look healthy or useful."   
  
The blue-haired giant glowered at the people in his hand, who had to be terrified out of their wits, and seethed. "Well,  _shit._ We could have just sent several carrier drones if he didn't want them by groups. Dammit!"   
  
The other voice replied, in an uninterested voice, as if he was doing a simple house chore literally trapping in people by the thousands. "Nothing we can do about that. Besides, we're already shorthanded as is...just get a bunch from here and head back."   
  
"Yeah, yeah..." The giant closest to her answered before stooping down to snatch up several more people who had been too slow to get away into his other hand. It was truly unsettling to see someone so massive move at such a speed, and Diana felt winded just looking at those people rise high into the school. Even more unsettling to see them squirming and hear them screeching in his hands. "It's stupid though. Like, we could have just landed somewhere else with more humans in the first place. I mean, seriously... _who_  chose that spot to begin with?"   
  
"Bring that up to higher command. Not me." Came the response, followed by several moving tremors that made the cars bounce on the pavement. Diana's legs vibrated from the shock as one of the other giants, the one with distinctly teal eyes and sharp, light brown hair, grew closer into her view on the opposite end of the road. Her insides lurched when she saw that his hands, just like the giant with neon eyes, was also teeming with people who were crying out for help.    
  
"Here's a better question," came a third, booming voice in annoyance.  _"Why_  are you two speaking in English?"   
  
The giant closest to her let out an rumbling groan and said nothing more as he glanced down at the pandemonium below. The corners of his mouth pinched in annoyance a moment before he languidly kicked a nearby semi-truck, causing it to swing and hit anything and anyone unfortunate enough to be in its way as the long trailer twisted around unhealthily on its wheels before toppling over with a loud thud, its weight crushing everything underneath. More importantly, one end of the highway was now sealed off, mostly cut off about eight hundred feet away from her.    
  
Even more surprisingly, as it seemed, the giant still had more to do when he moved one of his hands to his wrist and pressed something that she couldn't see clearly from her vantage point. But whatever it was made a keening sound before a spark flew from one of his cuffs and suspended itself in mid-air. The spark began to glow a bright orange when it suddenly flattened out and curved upwards, forming a bowl-like shape, rotating in the air. He reached above it and dropped his human cargo into it, their figures visible through a translucent, staticky half dome before the top curled more inwards and enclosed them all into a floating sphere. Even from a distance, she could make out the writhing bodies inside.    
  
Apparently satisfied that he had a sizable number of people secured, he took flight once more, those tremendous "wings" taking him off the ground and sending several vehicles literally into the air. One bounced off another car, right before exploding onto another. Mechanical parts and embers flew in several directions. While she was still fairly far away from the blast, she could make out the orange glow of the rising flames, as well as screams of anyone close to it. Once he was a good distance from the ground, he flew to his left towards the adjacent roads, eyes focused on something she couldn't see.  
  
Diana's teeth were chattering and her body was wracked with pain and fear. With her previous escape route inaccessible, she could feel some of the strength in her legs begin to drain from underneath her, threatening to collapse. It was at that moment when she remembered her phone, now underneath the car, was still near. She desperately needed some form of cover and to hear her mother. At least to let her know what might happen to her. That she loved her and her entire family.   
  
She unsteadily lowered herself down to the streaked ground, the pebbles hard and a little jagged under her hands and forearms. In the shadow of the Toyota lay her phone, cracked but the digital letters still visible on the screen. She could still feel her back throbbing painfully as she began to crawl under the large truck, the screaming and howling still filling her ears. With one outstretched hand, she grabbed up her phone and brought it to her ear, hoping to hear her mother's voice.   
  
Her mom was sobbing hysterically and screaming her name, her voice cracking terribly. It was a sound the nineteen-year-old girl never wanted to hear from her.  _DIANA! DIANA, SAY SOMETHING TO ME! GOD...please! PLEASE! DIANA! DIANA...Diana."_  
  
"Mom," Diana managed to say in Hindi, her eyes becoming wet with emotion.  _God, please don't let this be the last time I hear my mother's voice..._ "Mom, I'm alive. I'm still here. I-I'm s-still here Mom...I'm still h-here."   
  
_"Oh Diana...Diana please..just get out of there. Stay with me...Stay with me,"_ her mother had gasped out, still weeping on the receiver. " _Where are you? Tell me, where are you?"_  
  
The raven-haired girl swallowed the lump in her throat, her mouth feeling cottony and dry as she spoke. "I'm hiding under a car Mom. I'm hiding from...from the giant...giants. The one from the news. I don't know if they're the same...there's more than one and...a-and, I can't...I can't get out Mom...they're getting people... _k-k-killing_ people..." The tears came down in rivulets, the dark, mechanical underside of the truck making them hard to see as they fell onto the equally dark asphalt. "Mom, I...I love you. I love you so much a-"   
  
_"Stop talking like you're going to die!"_ Her mother's came in a half roar, half cry. A strangled hiccup followed.  _"You're going to make it, baby. I love you so much, honey, but you're not going to die. I'm here with you. Don't say that. J-just...hang in there...you can honey. I know you can. Stay under the car. They can't see you, can they? They can't see you!?"_  
  
Her shoulders were still shuddering terribly, but there was some minuscule relief to hearing her mother's calming words. "I don't think so. N-no."   
  
_"Just stay there, Diana. Stay there until they pass over, okay? Don't move."_  
  
She gulped a bit, still trying to breathe correctly. "I won't Mom. I won't."   
  
_"Okay, okay..."_ Her mom's voice was just as tinged with horrid terror hers was, despite being well over a couple hundred miles away.  _"Honey, I need you to stay on the phone, okay? I'm on my way. I'm in the ca-"_  
  
_"No Mom!_ Don't come here! You can't!" Her voice rose an octave, her heart shooting up to her throat. "You can't Mom! It's too dangerous! D-"   
  
_"I'm coming to save you!"_  
  
"You can't, Mom!" Diana screamed, "Y-"   
  
The sound of air exploding on itself echoed loudly before a tremor followed immediately behind, causing her and the car above her to jump up, the Toyota rebounding on its large wheels. Had her nerves hadn't already shot through the roof, she wouldn't believe the screams that would haunt her nightmares could get any higher. Worse of all,  _closer._  
  
Her eyes were wide, looking ahead at the clustered foray of racing feet that had changed course, now running in the direction facing away from her. It was when she saw an orange, flickering hue in the corner of her eye, reflecting off of the side of what looked to be a blue car that the terrible idea of what was happening. She frantically looked every direction, trying to find a way from the underside, turning around to face the gap she had fallen through. The gap was still open, to her abundant relief and she wasted no time getting up from it.   
  
As she hurriedly got to her feet, wincing when she was hit on her side by a flaying arm, she saw exactly what happened.   
  
The fire from the car that had exploded was steadily spreading outwards, engulfing the nearby vehicles which, in turn, also erupted into a violent plume of flames and smoke. The embers were creeping up, and she knew that she had to start moving once more.   
  
"M-Mom, I can't stay," she yelled into the earpiece, pushing herself away from the cars and into the fleeing crowd. "There's fire, Mom. It's coming. I got to move!"    
  
To her absolute despair, she couldn't hear her mother's voice anymore, now that she was leveled with the cries, screams and shouts of the other people running around her. Her voice came out unintelligible, even with the phone still pressed against her ear. In a horrible way, she felt like she was cut off from one of her only lifelines.    
  
The fires still raged on behind her and she could feel her skin prickling at the raising heat.  She didn't even dare turn around to take a glimpse at how close it was. Her mind was racing so quickly, her thoughts were no longer even available to even sensible to herself. Never, in all her years of living, would she have imagined herself to be the one to die young. She had dreamed of her future more than anything, of things to do, things to see, things to experience.   
  
It couldn't end this way. It couldn't. Oh God, it couldn't.   
  
A small, miraculous reprieve came as she gradually realized that some of the people were clearing out, the gaps between the cars ahead thinning out, giving out sparse gaps. Turning her head, she saw that the many people who were further than the cemented walls were jumping over a bent rail leading to the grassy and more forested part between the northbound and southbound roads. A surge of hope sprouted up within her.     
  
Further past was the sight of the green-eyed giant, who, as immense as he was, was about half a mile a way, his back facing the running crowds behind and with three of those floating, orange orbs hovering in the air. No doubt holding people who weren't able to get away.   
  
During the interspersed empty spots between cars and peopled, she would change from dashing to bounding to make way towards the metal railing. The trailing fires weren't impeded at all, gaining on her and everyone in its spiraling path, the smoke becoming suffocating as the looming danger continued to creep behind her. She was forced to cover her mouth as the billows of gray, speckled with flecks of ember, began to encompass the area around her. The fire was drawing frighteningly near, its deadly tongues closing in.   
  
The rail was now only several feet away and she pushed her aching legs to the limit, bounding off in a straight shot to the green open space. Her hand was clenched so tightly around her phone, the glass of the screen had cut her skin. Her teeth were tightly clenched as she focused on the opening. She was close...she was so close.   
  
And with a great leap, she landed over the twisted metal and away from the encroaching fire that mainly continued through the lines of cars. It had only been about twenty feet away.   
  
Despite having gained a distance from the flames, she was far from safe as she slowed her sprint a bit once she made it to the other side of the northbound road, which had its share of abandoned cars, but was nowhere near as clogged. People were still running, but the road road wasn't as blocked and one of the giants from before, the one with the teal eyes, was going for a group of people near one of the ramps.   
  
Her chest began to hurt from exhaustion, and even with adrenaline running through her veins, she struggled to maintain speed as her limbs grew heavier. There was nowhere else to go but straight and she did just that, forcing herself to ignore her increasingly dry throat and aching back, knees and legs.   
  
So when she saw the towering visage of the giant with green eyes look over the shorter trees and rising slope of the ramp and to the road she was on, she felt a terrible dread wash over her.   
  
Far too quickly for someone as massive as him to move, he turned away from the ramp, one hand clenched loosely with its catch, and took merely two steps over to his left, into the northbound road. He was colossal enough to take up the entire road, and still appeared closer as he took several steps down both lanes, the road heaving under his tremendous weight and the windows of the vehicles near here subtly clattering in place as he closed the distance with each step. He was closing in on the growing bunch of people around her, and she knew she had get away.   
  
Backpedaling a few steps before turning around fully and trying to run again, she aimed towards the hill between streets. Her hopes were dashed when she saw the fires now engulfing some of the trees that had been at the top of the slope, now crossing over to this side of the street and to the cluster of vehicles in the forefront. There would be no way of going the other way without risking death.    
  
The phone in her hand was now covered a bit of her blood, and the screen was now fully white, with a technicolor, rainbow splotch in the corner. But she hadn't noticed when her shaking hand brought it up to ear out of its own volition. She couldn't hear her mother, even a wisp of her voice. She thought she was beginning to lose it.   
  
There was a sound of rushed air from behind and she turned around just in time for the giant with green eyes and hair the color of granite to land down only a couple dozen feet away from her, the ground quaking enough for her to nearly fall over, with others close by also subjected to the rocking force. The street partially caved in under him and pebbles and broken glass blew upwards from the shockwave, pelting her.   
  
Caught in his long shadow, he loomed over the humans who could only look up in terror-filled awe and mounting trepidation. Under the unearthly glow of those green eyes, Diana couldn't even muster the courage to move. Even as he crouched down and reached his hand down towards them, his open palm and fingers taking up most of her view. She wouldn't have been able to run away, at this point, if she tried.  
  
She could only bring her arm to futilely shield herself when the gigantic hand came down and swooped her, along with three other people, into the air. Her phone fell out from her hand to the ground, breaking on impact. The fingers curled over them, pressing her against the other struggling and screaming people, before forming a tight, hot crevice that gave her no room to budge. Her right arm was caught in the webbing between the giant's middle and forefinger and an elbow belonging to one of the other squirming victims was pressed into side painfully, but there wasn't anything she could do about it. She was lifted up at a disorienting pace, and she saw the ground fall away through the gaps between the fingers.   
  
When the hand stopped ascending, it remained still for only two short seconds before opening and turning nearly ninety degrees, causing her to fall away.   
  
She was about to scream when she landed on her hands and knees on top of one of the men who was grabbed up along with her. She was pushed off when the man rolled away, gasping for air. She herself was breathless and panting for air, her eyes unable to focus on anything. Her head was still spinning and her eyes dizzy from all of the sudden movements.    
  
The voices were loud, but not as plentiful. And, frightfully so, she could make them out.   
  
"Oh God, oh God, oh God, oh God..."   
  
"LET US OUT! LET US OUT! Please...oh God..."   
  
"This isn't real, this isn't real. It can't be real. It can't be real. Wake up, wake up, wake up..."   
  
"Mommy!  _Mommy!"_  
  
When she recovered enough, the first thing she noticed was that she was surrounded by orange, with the sight of the unobstructed sky phasing into orange as the walls curved over to meet each other, closing together soundlessly. There were people with her, pressing and banging themselves against the convex walls that rose above them. She pushed herself onto her her legs, nearly falling forward as the ground proved to be a bit slicker than she anticipated.   
  
Her heart dropped when she looked below.   
  
Under the curved bottom she was in, the ground was dozens of feet below, shrouded in a distorted topaz from the floating ball she was in. She could make out the hundred moving shapes of the people below, as well as the fire streaking in across. She could hear her heart pounding when she finally realized just where she was.   
  
Bear crawling towards the "corner" of the sphere, she pressed her hands to one of the unoccupied areas and pushed against the walls. The walls felt like metal despite looking like glass, and her fist didn't even leave an imprint when she started banging against it. She saw the giant come into her sight, his side blocking her view for a moment when he continued moving forward and towards another bundle of people further ahead. She wailed and hollered, like everyone else in the sphere, but after several long, painstaking seconds, she tearfully realized the most she could do was watch helplessly as the three giants continued to gather people into orange spheres.   
  
She slumped down in defeat, watching the mayhem to continue to unfold from below. Never had she felt so utterly vulnerable and powerless. So depleted of energy and hope, she could only look on for several more minutes until the three giants had stopped plucking up the hapless people on the heavily damaged roads.   
  
The sphere she was in began to move, as well as the other spheres closing in and encircling the three giants who had met each other on the abandoned parts of the road. The giants were talking to each other, but this time, it was not in English. Their eyes swept over the occupied spheres around them before the giant with teal eyes said something. His voice was only slightly muffled by the walls, but still overpowering, especially in close proximity. she was so scared, she wasn't able to do much of anything.  
  
There was a woman and man facing them from inside the spheres, still yelling at the top of their lungs. The woman's voice was fearful yet furious. "You bastards! Put us down!  _Let us go!"_  
  
The man's voice was equally loud, but unlike the rebellious tone of the woman beside him, his was fraught with sorrow and whimpers. He pleaded, "Please... _please..._ let us go! _Please..."_  
  
Diana didn't know if any of the giants could hear them past the sphere's walls, or were simply ignoring them. Either way, they gave no indication that they were heard and continued continued their conversation for a few more seconds. After a moment, the giant with the dark blue hair raised his right arm up and pressed something beneath his wrist.   
  
The ball she was in shuttered before rising higher, along with the other countless spheres. The sphere turned and began to head towards the white vortex, which had remained in the sky the entire time. heedless of its occupants, the balls began to rush upwards as such a speed, Diana felt the rush of gravity press her against the bottom, allowing for others to stumble and fall down as well. The sphere she was in was now directly underneath the white vortex and still propelling higher and higher. Her vision became white as the brightness increased overtook her vision completely.   
  
She couldn't even bring herself to scream when her world became white before going black.   
  


\----- 

Commander Regis's expression hadn't changed at all as Seron finished detailing the information Zelleron had relayed to him. But the clutching of his hands had been a big enough telltale sign of his discontentment. 

"So that leaves us with finding out why this boy has his DNA in the first place..." he rumbled, eyes still hard and mouth thinned across his face. "And where in this forsaken galaxy is Arum." 

Seron didn't budge from the commander's intense look. By Traxian standards, Commander Regis was enormous, making even the relatively tall Seron look short in comparison. While many of his subordinates and others would have folded under the scrutinizing, cold eyes of his superior, he wouldn't. Having been commissioned by the tall Traxian himself and, likewise, known him from the moment he came out of his creation chamber, he knew that while the commander was very intimidating to be in the presence of, he was just that. "There's a chance that he really is on Earth if a human is carrying his DNA. And chances are that he still has the Key with him." 

Regis only looked down at his soldier, his dark, midnight blue eyes blazing coldly. He wasn't angry. Not at Arum at least. But at the sheer lack of answers to the countless questions that hung in the air.  

The command center of the ship remained eerily quiet as a there was silence between the two as Regis brought a hand to his mouth, going into brief thought only before glancing back at his right-hand soldier, who remained attentive and awaited for his response. Or rather, orders. 

"Allow Zel to run tests on Jonah," the commander said at last. "If any new information follows up, report it to me at once. Also, have Kivit send out more camouflaged drones throughout the Eastern coast of the United States, particularly Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Washington DC. If Jonah had come into contact with him, it'd be in one of those states." 

"I'll tell Kivit of his new assignment immediately," Seron responded dutifully. 

The commander's eyes sharply went to look out the window, the Earth's mesosphere casting it's blue aura into the vast room. "How's Terez?" 

Seron was quiet for a second before speaking. "Still unconscious. And in the United State's military custody. I apologize for not being able to bring him up with us. Their military got to him before I had the chance." 

"Truth be told, Seron," the commander's voice began evenly, "It would have been best if you killed him when you had the chance." 

"My apologies. I had to rush and cut him off. I had no time to do anything more than get the humans away from the area. Also, at this point, the nanotechnology in his body has now reached to my level, as well as Arum's. It'd would've been too risky at the moment. Not without the proper equipment already in place." 

The towering man had let out a small noncommittal grunt before he went to observe the data on the holographic monitors. A map of the planet was covered in several red dots: the active drones that were in countless countries, the biggest concentrations residing in the Americas. Commander Regis continued to face away from his lieutenant general, with Seron merely awaiting his order to leave. 

The somewhat inquisitive tone in his commander's voice did surprise him however, as it was something he rarely heard. "Let me ask you a question Seron. Answer honestly. Do you think Arum ran off with the Key to have the power to himself?" 

The lieutenant general was taken aback from such a question, his eyebrows scrunching slightly. But he was quick to answer. "No sir. Arum is loyal to the Viras colony and upholds its ideals to the best of his ability. I highly doubt he would take use the Key for his own sake." 

"I know that's true of  _you,_ Seron..." the commander told him, "You've always been straight-laced and the epitome of justice and whatnot. To an aggravating degree sometimes. No, I'm talking about our missing link." 

"I politely reiterate, sir," Seron stated, "Arum is loyal. He wouldn't use the Key for his own uses." 

Regis turned around and met the younger soldier once more in the eye before exhaling. "Alright." 

Despite the disparity in authority, Seron felt very compelled to ask his commanding officer to come to such a possibility. But before he could say anything, the alarm on the far side monitor began to sound off, beeping red. Their heads turned towards it before Commander Regis strode towards it, reaching it in seconds. 

He pressed the button next to it and another holographic screen popped out into thin air. 

News footage, with pictures of raging fires, emergency vehicles and people dispersed throughout. The news reporter, a grizzled, old man who wore a severe frown, had spoken into the microphone. 

_"Breaking News from North Carolina: Southbound I-95 was recently attacked by, what witnesses and evidence say, were three giants..."_

_\-----_  


  
Despite Zel's attempts to lighten the mood, the air still felt oppressively melancholic. 

Not necessarily his fault, she'd surmised long ago. It seemed that he genuinely was trying achieve the impossible task of easing their worries and encouraging them, but with everything that was happening, as well as all the things that  _did_ happen, in short succession nonetheless, his attempts would be doomed to fail. It didn't help that, despite his friendly demeanor, he was still well over a hundred feet in height and loomed over them like a walking, breathing building. Kind or not, he was still far too big for her to regard him as anything close to being remotely harmless.

  
In actuality, despite her choice to stay, more than anything she had wanted to go back home. To get as far away from these giant aliens and pretend that they didn't exist. To see her parents and older brother and tell them that she was alive and in one piece. But despite the situation not concerning her, she had been far too concerned for Jonah. The thought of leaving him left a bad taste in her mouth, not after knowing him for years and seeing firsthand what he was going through. 

Jonah was able to respond to the many questions the medic had for them, as she remained mostly quiet. The topic had changed to that of clothing, particularly the different styles that existed and how diverse it was on Earth. Rachel normally would have been heavily invested in the conversation, adding in her own observations, but she could barely muster the courage to maintain eye contact with the giant alien medic. Despite not saying anything, she listened to Zel's incessant chattering and it became clear just how invested he was into the many cultures on Earth had. In a way, hearing him talk blocked out some of the painful and terrifying memories of the attack in the school. 

  
When Jonah responded to Zel's questions about differences in time period styles, it was with a smile but with considerably less cheer. "Things are a bit more...progressive, in a sense? Back then, it had been a taboo for women to show anything above their ankles. But, uh, now...at least in the States, it isn't really much of a deal. Or in first world countries for that matter." 

"Wow," the raven-haired giant said, eyes wide in obvious interest. "And all this happened in a span of only a little over a hundred years?" 

Jonah's eyes quirked up. "I don't...uh, for a human, a hundred years is a very long time actually. It's, um...maybe around five generations of people? Six depending?" 

"Ah, sorry," the medic apologized, scratching the back of his neck. "I, uh...I kind of need to think relatively, huh? Didn't mean for it to come off like it's that short or anything." 

"It's fine," Jonah said, giving the giant a single wave, "I know what you mean. Say...just wondering, how long do you guys live anyway?" 

"Oh! Uh, most Traxians can live to be around eight to nine hundred years old. Some make it to about a thousand years old. Maybe a thousand and one hundred-fifty for the _really_  healthy bunch." 

Rachel saw Jonah's eyes widen, her's also raising in shock. She had a suspicion but... 

"That's...pretty long." Jonah said simply. After a second, he asked, "Wait, so, Zel...how old are you?" 

"I'm about...well, by Earth years anyway...one-hundred and seventy...seven...I think? Yeah, that sounds about right." 

"Does that make you like, seventeen years old by human-standards?" 

Zel shook his head. "Not quite...actually in human terms, I'd be closer to about...twenty years of age, maybe? We age a bit differently from humans...I mean, it's mostly the same but the early years tends to be a bit more...uh, what's the word? Quicker yeah, but to you, maybe not...um..." he brought a finger to the side of his head and tapped pensively before he spoke again. "We mature  _relatively_ quicker in our first century. Like, it might sound like every hundred years is a decade to you guys, but not quite. An adult age to us is around one-hundred and fifty years old." 

"So..." Jonah's head tilted in intrigue, "Does that make you guys, like, space elves or something? If that's the case, that would be pretty neat." 

Zel let out a hearty, good-natured laugh, the sound echoing all around. "Didn't realize we'd come off like that to you guys. But, boy that would be neat, huh?" Zel continued to smile down at the two humans on the table. "Nah, when it comes to things like lifespans, it's all about relativity, see? We  _can_ and  _do_ die. We're long lived by human standards, and I suppose, some other species too. But we're susceptible to old age and illnesses and the like. There are species of aliens we've met that can live to even ten times, or a  _hundred_ times longer than us. And it baffles me what they do in all those long years to not get bored. But same thing the other way around," Zel brought his hands together to form a circle-shape with his fingers. "There's this species of sentient balls of goo, and...well, they look kinda weird when you see their, uh, face. Anyway, they only live for about three Earth years. Five max. And get this! They have legends of heroes being granted to live about twenty three years. That's super long to them...like, how do they find time to do anything?" 

"Well, you said it's about, uh, relativity...right?" Jonah pointed out. "I mean, to you we're kinda short lived, aren't we?" 

Zel shook his head. "Not really, I mean, to us Traxians, a little bit. But with all our encounters with other species, I'd place you guys around the middle. Low-middle, but definitely in the middle. I think in time though, humans would get to high middle. I mean, you guys advance quick! Even by your species' standards!" 

Rachel head tipped up in surprise. That was an interesting tidbit. Encouraging in a sense. 

"But...what about, uh, Traxians?" Jonah asked. "I mean, don't you guys have things like that? Historical occurances and advancements? Ugh...stupid question, since I know you guys got this far, but...uh...I mean, what about your history." 

"Er..." Zel paused, leaning one head on his hand, " _Sorta?_ I guess? I mean, we do have a history, of course. A lot to it, but...well, with our planet kinda, well, dead, it's kind of hard to appreciate it in the same sense, I guess?" 

Jonah's eyes widened, before narrowing in sympathy. "I'm sorry to ask that. Didn't mean to make you feel bad." 

"Oh no no no, you didn't make me feel bad!" Zel reassured, shaking his head. "I wasn't offended in the slightest. What I meant was, I've  _never_ seen or been to my planet. It was long gone before I was born, so it isn't like I can miss something I've never known about except in the historical logs." Zel lowered a hand and drew circles with his finger on the table. "What I like about you humans is that you look so much like us! And you have so many different cultures and histories and languages...it's amazing. I mean, so do other species too. But we look  _so_ alike! At least on the outside!" He looked up into the ceiling of the medbay, his voice wistful in admiration. "I hope I can get the chance to see your planet from the ground level someday. That'd be amazing..." 

"I...uh," Jonah trailed off, swallowing nervously. "Don't get me wrong...you seem like a really nice guy, Zel. Really, you do. But, uh, I don't think we're quite ready for...not after with Terez..." 

Zel's mouth dipped slightly, his smile still holding, but a bit more melancholic. "Yeah...I know it's wishful thinking at the moment but...who knows?" His eyes shifted back to them, still beaming. "...I hope..."

_"Zelleron."_

Both Rachel and Jonah jumped and cupped their ears when a voice filled the room while Zel merely lifted his head from his hands to look at something behind them. "Hm?" 

What came out of what had to be an intercom set to a fiendishly high volume were several syllables said at varying intonations in that language those aliens spoke, whatever it was called.  Zel replied in turn with a shorter answer before looking back at the humans on the table. "Sorry about the volume! It's not quite adjusted for, uh... _smaller ears._ I'll fix that, ASAP! Also, I have to leave the room for a sec. Hiris just needs to borrow one of my scanners; she just finished with Dev and realized hers isn't up to par. So, sorry again!" 

Zel stood up from his chair and gave a long look to the two humans, as if fearing that he was putting them at risk at leaving them unattended before forcing himself to relax. With several steps, he cleared what would seem like a distance of a city block in only a few short seconds before walking out. 

With the doors sealed behind him, that left the two humans alone in near complete silence. 

Rachel let out the air she had been unconsciously holding. Without the giant medic hanging over their heads, she felt somewhat capable of getting her vocal chords to work again. She looked up to Jonah, who had glanced back at her nervously before catching gaze and flinching. Although Zel wasn't with them, the air still felt a tad bit heavy. 

But, nonetheless, she finally had her opportunity to finally say what she wanted to her friend and fellow victim. "Hey, Jonah?" 

Jonah stiffened a bit in his spot as he replied to the blonde. "Y-yeah?" 

Rachel sighed deeply before speaking once more. She had to get it off her chest. 

"I...I, um...I just want to say... _Sorry."_

Jonah squinted his eyes in confusion. "Wh-what? Wait, what are you apologizing for? You didn't even do anything!" 

"No, no..." Rachel responded, shaking her head, "I mean. Back in the school...when we were being chased by that...by Terez. In the closet. I asked, 'who are you,' and...well, I questioned you and doubted you. at that moment I...I thought you were something else and...I mean, now it's obvious that we're all in the dark and...I'm sorry." Rachel looked at the floor, as she went on, her voice pained. "To be honest, when we were in the closet, I was getting ready to blame you for all this before..." She went quiet before he huffed out another, "Sorry..." 

"...No." 

Rachel looked up, seeing Jonah giving her a small, kind smile. "Actually, if anyone who needs to apologize, it's  _me._ I mean, I have no idea what's going on, but...nonetheless, it looks like for whatever reason me and this Arum guy seem to be related...somehow or another, or whatever reason I have this DNA, and I kinda wound up getting everyone dragged into this." Jonah's stance softened, "I can't blame you for all that happened to you cuz' of me. Hell, I was the one who insisted we follow Seron into that white portal thing, so, if anything...it's my fault that we're stuck up here in outer space." 

Rachel's eyes widened. "We're in  _space!?"_

Jonah blinked. "Uh...you didn't know th-oh wait!" He smacked on the forehead. "I forgot, you didn't come with me when Seron and that commander guy...yeah. We're in space. On an actual spaceship. I saw through the windows: Earth's below it. Caught me off guard a bit." 

"I...you know what, maybe I shouldn't really be surprised at this point," Rachel relented with a exhalation before giving Jonah a smile of her own. "I mean, just look at our company. Besides, Zel was rambling on about wanting to go to Earth. I should've put two and two together there. Anyway," Rachel gave Jonah a soft jab on his shoulder. "Don't blame yourself. I don't. You just try to do what they want you to do so the both of us can go home." She opened her arms up to invite a hug. "Cool?" 

Jonah nodded and leaned down to give her a friendly, side hug. "Cool." 

After parting from their hug, both friends decided to sit down on the expansive tabletop. Rachel felt a heavy weight lifted from her shoulders. And was more relieved to know her friend carried no ill will. It was a tiny sliver of normalcy in the strange, hectic and unbelievable situation they were in. 

_Speaking of normalcy..._

"Hey...you think they'll let me contact my family?" Rachel pondered aloud. The thought of her parents and older brother Vaughn, who more than likely must have an idea of what had happened given the absolute insanity of it all, made her heart clench. They were probably in hysterics, wondering if she was alive or dead. "I can't even begin to wonder how they're feeling." 

She looked at Jonah, who was looking at his outstretched legs, in deep thought. She was about to repeat her question when she remembered his family situation. "Uh...oh, sorry." 

"Don't be..." he said automatically. "Actually, I was wondering about that same question." He looked at her, face determined. "I'm calling Dad back. If they say we can, I'll finally call him back." He let out a dry laugh, dancing his fingers on the metal beneath. "Y'know...with all this crazy shit going on, everything that happened at home seems so...little. It all blows it out of the water..." 

Rachel let out a satisfied sound. "Glad that's the case. Well, I guess we'll have to wait until Zel comes back then." 

Not a second later, the doors parted again, getting their attention. The two humans were about to call out Zel's name, but their words fell flat when they saw that it wasn't Zel entering the room, but Seron. Her stomach twisted though when she saw his facial expression: he looked grim, mouth a straight gash across his face and eyes slightly narrowed. If her eyes weren't playing tricks on her, she could have sworn he looked a bit paler as well. 

Seron didn't finish making his way to the table before he began to speak. "Where's Zelleron?" 

Jonah seemed to also have been taken aback by the suddenness of his savior. "He, uh...he left the room. Said something about helping a Hiris person?" 

Seron reached them in several long strides, his eyes falling on Jonah...mostly. Rachel began to shiver. From what she could tell, he wasn't as imposing as that commander guy who had previously been in the room. But, unlike Zel, who was making constant efforts to not scare her nor Jonah, it was obvious that he didn't know how to come off as un-threatening, even if he meant no harm. At least, she  _hoped_  he didn't mean any harm... 

Fortunately for her, an equally bewildered Jonah managed to speak to him. "Is, uh...is something the matter?" 

The tall soldier's sombre features deepened. The room felt like it had dropped several degrees, chilly with no wind. She could feel an illness beginning to take shape inside her belly. 

And it all seemed to come to a head when Seron, his voice grave and slow, told them: 

"They've made their move again. On Earth."   


	15. Chapter 12 Part 1: Awake

Daniel didn't feel refreshed, nor did he feel any less anxious. But his mind was a bit clearer now that he was properly washed and could collect his thoughts better, but that probably had more to do with the fact that he was out of that tent and had time to himself to think once again. Although he had requested the shower, he wound up feeling nauseous after spending fifteen minutes in. No doubt from the stress building up inside him along with the steam creating an uncomfortably humid atmosphere around him. He actually had to fight the bile rising up his throat when he stepped out.   
  
Unfortunately, he remembered nothing more about the incident.   
  
He tried and tried to search his memories, growing more frustrated at the lack of anything new surfacing, which only hindered his efforts even more. He remembered his son missing the first three catches of the football before catching the fourth. He remembered them climbing through the trail, deviating to go through the trees-" _Stupid stupid stupid!"-_ when his son crawled under a leaning trunk. He remembered walking along the tall cliff-side, under the gray sky and rain, hand in hand with his only child.   
  
Then things falling, and then waking up.   
  
He remembered being hooked to an IV in a white room, wrapped in bandages and left foot suspended in a cast. He remembered the horrible headache he felt as he looked at the blurring figures move about. He remembered writhing in agony and the instant panic he felt when he didn't see his son, and the near palpable relief he had when the nurse informed him that he was alive. He remembered being hugged by a crying Annabelle, his girlfriend who would to become his wife. He remembered hugging his crying son. He remembered the long hours of physical therapy. And the joy he felt when he was released from the hospital, to fully reunite with his family.    
  
For the longest time, he had tried to eschew those memories, as he tried to get back into normal day to day life. Which became easier as the years passed by. A rough lesson learned in safety, an easy lesson learned about family. He watched his son grow, the relationship he had with Annabelle remained steady as ever, and...   
_  
"Why can't I remember...?"  
  
_ Well, actually he knew exactly why he couldn't remember: he had a third degree concussion and was out like a light. And, quite honestly, he couldn't see how the incident of what happened over a decade ago and the alien abducting his son were at all related. It was a freak occurrence in which both of them were very lucky to have came out alive in the end and push to the back of their minds. Life marched forward, and so would he.   
  
At least, that was what was supposed to happen. Until he realized that ever since then, his son was...forgetting...a lot.   
  
And apparently, so was he.   
  
Why was his gut telling him that he  _needed_ to remember what happened in that park that day? That somehow, what happened all those years ago were interconnected to his son's disappearance?  It didn't make sense...it really didn't. Rather, it  _shouldn't_ make sense. But no matter how hard he thought about it, he had a feeling that for some ridiculously obfuscated reason...it does.   
  
Damn, he wished Annabelle was here.   
  
When he'd been informed that his wife had been informed of his situation and was also receiving questioningin Fairfax, he was a little bit relieved. He was informed that once everything had been settled, he'd be able to reunite with her. Although, he wished he didn't have to wait actually; he hated feeling like he was alone in this.   
  
At the same time though, the thought of his wife stung as the memories he didn't want to remember the most sprung up in his mind.   
  
_"I don't know Anne, it's just...I mean, you've got to have noticed it too, right?"  
  
Anne had been leaning against the kitchen counter, her brown eyes looking away in thought. She was quiet, thinking.   
  
At last, she responded to him. "I...I honestly don't Danny. I mean, I know what you're trying to get at but...he's the same."   
  
Daniel shook his head. "No no...I mean, there's no way...like, in the beginning, I thought he was just going into a phase. But...now, it's like he's...I dunno? Forgetful?"   
  
Annabelle frowned. "Danny, it's nothing major. I mean, it's been years. And he has a lot on his plate."   
  
Daniel looked at his feet, pursing his lips as he tried to find a way his express his feelings to her. "I...I asked if he remembered the summer festival back in 1st grade. Since, you know, they're tearing down the area to build a new strip mall there. And he said, well, he doesn't remember. This was back when he was in fifth grade, by the way. And asked me...'What festival?' So, I told him, 'Carzwell's yearly festival...y'know, when I won him that fish. You remember?"   
  
"Of course I remember," his wife answered, tilting her head in confusion. "That fish died three months later though."   
  
"Right, exactly." Daniel said, before looking back up. "Anne...he doesn't remember the fish. He doesn't remember _ anything  _about having a fish. He doesn't remember the festival or any of them we've went to in the past!" Daniel kneaded his forehead with his hand. It was late, he was getting tired, but this was really bugging him. "Even with Tracy, we took him there every single year."  
  
"...You think he's got some sort of amnesia from the incident?"   
  
Daniel sighed. "I don't know. Maybe. But they said when he got the MRI, nothing was unusual. And...he was fine then! Aside form the brace, he was safe! Thank God...but honestly, I mean...maybe it could be something else."   
  
"Think Dan," the brunette, reaching out to cup her husband's cheek.. "C'mon. It's been years. I mean, maybe he also had a concussion and the doctors missed it? It's...something I could believe. Besides, is it really a big deal that he can't remember anything that happened when he was a kid?"   
  
Daniel gentle grabbed her hand with his own, pressing it further into his cheek. Even though he was somewhat comforted, his voice was still hollow. "I know what you mean, babe. And...normally, that wouldn't bother me but...that's not the end of it."   
  
Annabelle blinked, tilting her head. Dan felt weary. But he went on.   
  
"I asked about Leah and Trevor. He doesn't remember them. I asked about his third grade teacher, Ms. Hawk. He doesn't remember her. I asked about if he remembered going to see the light shows every Christmas. He doesn't even remember that!"   
  
Daniel grew more and more aggravated as he went on. He didn't realize his voice was rising, and that his other hand was clenching the wood of the counter tight enough to leave grooves in it.   
  
"Forty-five minutes ago, when he said that he was going to get something to eat from McDonalds, I joked that he'd get pretty fat eating all that college food and fast food in one go. That I was pretty sure that he'd have to exercise it all off in the end. That neither you or Tracy never liked him eating all that junk in the first place. And I offered if he wanted to play some football afterwards."   
  
A sardonic laugh escaped his lips. "Y'know, I thought he'd turn me down, saying something like he's not a kid anymore or that he wasn't into that stuff."   
  
His voice grew pained, as he looked Annabelle in the eye. "Anne...he asked me...'Who's Tracy?'"   
  
Daniel watched as Annabelle's eyes widened in shock. While they had never met, she was aware of his first wife and how much she had meant to him before her death. And how much she had meant to Jonah, whom had originally been so adverse to her in the beginning, that he had told her directly to go away and that she'd never be able to replace his "Mama." Daniel remembered that day. He remembered everything about that day. And the days that came after that.  
  
The man felt himself grow hot under the collar, as he continued. "He also said that...y'know, we're just joking around and all but...he doesn't remember playing football much in the past at all. And...I was hoping he didn't mean it because...I mean..." he was yelling now, "Anne, he doesn't remember football! He doesn't remember us going out! He doesn't even remember his own biological _ mother!  _It's like, he's forgotten everything before that accident! The time we spent, the things we've done and...I'm so worried Anne! He doesn't remember anything! It's like...he might as well not be my son anymore!"_  
  
_He heard a thump from behind him and turned around. His heart bottomed out immediately._  
  
_Standing in the doorway, with the night sky fully visible from behind him, was Jonah._  
  
_His eyes were just as wide as Daniel's. His mouth was open and his face paler than usual. A family-sized bag, no doubt holding enough food for the three of them, had fallen onto the ground and slumped against the wall. No doubt the air had been sucked out of the room._  
  
_He heard. He heard him._  
  
_Jonah could only stare at his parents, arms trembling and mouth quivering._  
  
_In that moment of absolute silence, Daniel's heart was audible in his chest. He wanted to say something. He desperately wanted to say something, but nothing was coming...the words he wanted to say weren't congealing and the guilt that seized his heart began to spread to his throat._  
  
_It was Jonah, voice quiet and shaking, that broke the defeaning silence._  
  
_"D-Dad...?"_  
  
Daniel's self-loathing doubled at the memory.   
  
Oh God...Why did he say that?   
  
The weeks that went by were spent in anguish as he recalled what happened that night time and time again. Never had he felt like such a failure of a human being in that very moment. That he was incapable as a father, who didn't deserve his son.   
  
It grew worse when he tried to call his son multiple times, to express his apology...to reconcile. To tell him that he loved him. That he cherished him. That he was his son. But his son, understandably, ignored his calls. Every single last one of them, every single day. He never responded to his voicemail. He didn't seem to acknowledge his text messages. And now, the letter he wrote three days ago, would probably never reach him.  
  
He failed himself. He failed Tracy. He failed Annabelle.   
  
And he failed Jonah. Oh how he failed Jonah.   
  
And now, he might never be able to apologize properly to him.   
  
His thoughts grew loud.   
  
If it turned out that Jonah...if his son was...no longer here...   
  
Would he have remembered his him in love? Would he have looked back to the memories of his father fondly? Or would that...what had happened be all he could remember of him? Would it be bitter thoughts of him? Would he have felt alone because he couldn't...   
  
"Mr. Michaels?"   
  
That voice cut through his poisonous thoughts and brought him back to the present.   
  
"Mr. Michaels, are you finished? We heard the water stop."   
  
Daniel then remembered that he was still getting dressed. That he needed to finish up and continue to interview.   
  
He swallowed and spoke, his voice cracking a bit. "Oh, uh yeah. I'm just getting my shirt on, I'll be out in a minute."   
  
The soldier who had been asked to attend to him didn't say anything, but he was sure that he had heard him. Daniel let out a long exhale, letting his shoulders slump and his mind relax enough for him to get back to the task at hand: continuing the interview to help these soldiers find his son.   
  
He wiped his eyes, feeling an unexpected moisture and grabbed his long-sleeved shirt.   
  
What was he doing? Every moment spent in self pity was a moment taken away to find his child. It wasn't time to be emotional. He wouldn't allow himself to.   
  
After a minute, the middle-aged man was fully dressed. He was back into the same clothes he had yesterday, having refused to change into the extra attire offered to him. He didn't feel comfortable wearing a pair of borrowed clothes or the military garb for that matter. Once he slipped his shoes back on, he slipped out from the tent and into the open where the soldier had been waiting.   
  
"Sorry, was I in there long?"   
  
The soldier, a man about half a head shorter than him and probably a good twenty years younger than him, shook his head. "Not at all actually. You got out there earlier than expected. Feeling refreshed?"   
  
Daniel gave him a plaintive smile. "As much as I can be with all that's going on."   
  
The soldier nodded in solemn understanding. "I can barely imagine. In any case, Major Hernandez is waiting for you."   
  
With a gesture of his hand, Daniel signaled he was ready to go and soon the two heading back across the field to the tent where the interrogation would continue. As he walked, Daniel furtively glanced around to look at the soldiers moving about. A tiny part of him wished that he'd somehow see Jonah mixed in with those soldiers or hiding behind the trees, but he knew that wasn't a possibility.   
  
When he reached the tent, he saw Carson waiting for him with a smile.   
  
"Feeling better?" he asked, pulling back the seat for him.   
  
Daniel gave him the same response he gave to the soldier who had closed the flap of the entrance for him, "As much as I'm gonna be."   
  
"Well, hopefully we'll be able to change that," the major told him, giving him a sincerely sympathetic look. "Now then, ho-"   
  
The major was abruptly cut off by the sound of his walkie talkie coming to life, buzzing loudly within the confined space.  _"Major Hernandez, please respond."_ came the urgent voice laced with static, rushed and slightly garbled.   
  
The major looked at Daniel for a split second before unlatching his transceiver and pulling it to his ear. He mouthed an "excuse me" to the civilian before standing from his chair to face away from him. "This is Major Carson Hernandez speaking. Report."   
  
The voice was set lower, and Daniel couldn't make it out clearly, but given how his face seemed to scrunch up, he could surmise that whatever the major was hearing, it seemed to be dire. In fact, Carson was beginning to look a bit paler.   
  
Carson's friendly and jovial tone was now authoritative and cutting. "Alert the nearby police forces to increase security around the college and carry out Merider's order to evacuate everyone within a fifty-mile radius here and the college...Alright. We'll up our arsenal as soon as possible...understood."   
  
Daniel begin to feel tense as the major spoke into his communicator, and began to feel more tense when he heard the soldiers from outside begin to bark orders, the activity audibly increasing. Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong.   
  
A minute later, Carson closed the call before looking back at the middle aged man, his face stony albeit grave. "I deeply apologize Mr. Michaels, but we'll have to resume this interview later. Stay here; I'll have a soldier escort you to a different area once we have everything in order."    
  
He felt his legs grow restless as the soldier began to walk to the other end of the table. He had to swallow down the lump of anxiety building up. "Wh...what's going on? Did something happen?"   
  
Major Hernandez paused for a moment, as if he was trying to figure out a way to inform the older man, but it didn't take long before he answered him, his voice blunt, serious, and grim.   
  
"There have been more attacks. The giant in our custody isn't the only one and there's a chance that they'll come for him soon."   
  
The color drained from Daniel's face as a horror began to arise within him.   
  
He didn't get the chance to ask more when the major went out the tent, giving him a short glance of soldiers rushing around in a frenzy around the field, the air louder than ever.   
  
And all he could do, for the time being, was sit there in terrible solitude, as the lone man without an idea of what to do.   
  


\----- 

  


"How much do you get paid?"  

Rupert swung his head back to look at the two soldiers loading up one of many anti-tank cannons surrounding the hole. "Uh...what?" 

The two soldiers, one man and a woman who both were looked no older than twenty, looked at each other before the woman repeated herself. "How much does an alien researcher get paid? I mean, is it lucrative at all or...?" 

Dusk was soon approaching. The sun's light was beginning to taper away as the dark blue hue began to overtake the sky. The weather had become cooler fairly quickly. The Brit was given a spare jacket to shield him from the chill. Lt. Beck had went to convene with several military officers, leaving Rupert with few of his subordinates. Two of them, who probably were looked to be just out of high school, were eager to learn about his profession. 

The blond scratched the back of his neck, "Well, I...uh...I've only recieved the  _official_ title of alien researcher about a day ago when they called me up here." 

"But you studied aliens, right?" the soldier asked inquisitively, shutting the hatch of the cannon standing back up. "I mean, that is what you usually do?"

  
"Well, sort of," came Rupert's halted reply, "I mean, until now I was considered a theoretician at most. But I also worked as an astrophysicist beforehand. So..."   
  
"Beforehand?" asked the male soldier, who was now looking up from the ground, "So...is the pay as good or not?"   
  
"The pay's well and all, but if you're expecting me to be a millionaire then I think you'll be sad to know that's not the case. I mean, I don't necessarily work for NASA."   
  
"Can you give an estimate?"   
  
"In dollars?"   
  
The male soldier squinted his eyes, "What  _else_ could I mean?"   
  
Rupert returned his look with a slightly annoyed glare, "Well, if you can't tell, I get paid in pounds. I have to do some conversion in my head..."   
  
Truth be told, despite the relatively calm atmosphere at the moment, Rupert was not at ease. When he shared his concerns of the anesthesia's effectiveness, they immediately went into trying to determine if the giant's current coma was indeed caused by the drugs. But while the giant's breathing remained labored, with no way to compare his regular heartbeat to his current one, nor awareness of what was possibly an alien physiology, they had no definite answer. They increased the already incredibly high dosage, but no apparent changes in heartrate were observed, worryingly enough. And while Rupert was an expert on many things concerning space and physics, he was no doctor.   
  
And, of course, the recent news of more beings like him abducting people off the highways in the more southern states making things significantly more urgent.   
  
With that on his mind, it was a challenge to think of anything else until the two soldiers spoke to him.   
  
"If I had to put it into dollars, probably fifty thousand or so a year."   
  
"Oh," the male soldier said simply.   
  
The female soldier said, "I thought it'd a lot more."   
  
Rupert gave them a humored smile, "Well, I did say that I wasn't a millionaire."   
  
The male soldier, with deep-set brown eyes and a slight stubble, returned the smile. "Still though, it sounds like it'd be a fun career though. When I finish my service here, I hope I get the chance to study astronomy."   
  
Rupert lit up in surprise, "You want to become an astronomer?"   
  
"Well, kinda. I like science and space, but I don't think I'm smart enough to get a grasp of all the math involved."   
  
Rupert shook his head, "Ah, c'mon...even I still struggle with the math involved. If you're interested enough, I say still try to go for it."   
  
"Well, I nearly failed physics and calculus in high school. Had to get a tutor to make sure I even got a C average in both classes. Don't think I'd do well for something like that."   
  
"I wish I knew what I wanted to be," the female soldier interjected, leaning against the cannon's base. "I joined the military only because my three older brothers did. Still don't got a clue on whether to stick with it once I can get out or to do something in college. Probably go to trade school. I dunno."   
  
Rupert stared at the two for a moment before he looked at them compassionately, "Well, the both of you have potential in doing whatever you want to do with your life." He looked to the female soldier. "You're young, you got time. And, this is going to sound cliche as all hell, but you can do anything you put your mind to. Really." He looked to the male soldier, "If you decide to get into astronomy, I'll be glad to help you with understanding all the technical stuff. You...uh, I don't think I caught either of your names."   
  
"I'm Troy," the male soldier said.   
  
"Anissa."    
  
"Troy and Anissa, got it. Well, Troy, I can recommend some good people to help you out with the math, but even then, you have to really study. And Anissa, like I just said, you have time to make a decision of what you want to do in the future."   
  
The two soldiers gave him a gracious nod of the head, warmly smiling at him.   
  
Rupert felt a sense of achievement seeing the two youth begin to converse with each other before he heard a voice from behind him.   
  
"Mr. Denan," he heard before turning around to meet another soldier in the eyes.   
  
"Yes? What is it?" Rupert noticed the intense look he was receiving from the soldier. If he hadn't known better, he would say the man looked like the color had drained from his face.    
  
The soldier spoke quickly and clearly, "I apologize for the inconvenience but you will be relocated to a different area until further notice."   
  
Rupert's eyes widened, "Huh? Wh-what!? Why?"   
  
The newcomer was quick to answer, "We have reason to believe that this area may be unsafe with the possibility of the giants coming to this area. All civilians within the area are to go to the designated areas until further notice. Even you for the time being. When we feel the danger has passed, we will contact you once more. An escort is waiting to take you back on the other end."   
  
Rupert's mouth twitched in skepticism. There was no way the "danger would pass" as he called it. Not like that and with it so close. Nonetheless, he understood the situation and let out a long sigh. "Fine. I got it. I guess the hotel's out of the question right now then." He looked back at the two soldiers, "Guess, I'll talk to you two later then?"   
  
The two waved at him, smiling.   
  
"See you," said Anissa.   
  
"Don't forget to recommend those math teachers for me," said Troy, making a phone gesture with his hand.   
  
Rupert returned the wave. "I won't. I'll give you my contact info when I get to come back."   
  
The new soldier, indifferent to the exchange, quirked his head to the side for Rupert to follow, which he did so, matching his brisk pace. For what it was worth, the talk had been pleasant, even for the few minutes he got to talk to them.   
  


\-----    


Even in his unconscious state, he seethed. 

Whether he was aware or not, he still managed to always harbor that anger.  

He had finally found him. The one who he had been searching for...hunting for...for years on end. 

And just like that, it had all been undone. 

Rage seeped within his veins like a cold venom, a reminder of his failure. 

 _So close. So close. So close. So close._

He had him in his literal grasp. It had to be him. No matter what form, he would find him. 

He would get him. 

He would kill him. 

 _So close. So close. So close._

He felt a powerful hate envelope him, a familiar emotion that cradled him. Engulfed him with its hot tendrils that wrapped around his heart. Its hold powerful and undying. 

Arum... 

Whom he had admired so greatly...the light of what had been his darkening world...his idol...his hero... 

And vanish...

How he hated him... 

How he couldn't wait to slowly tear him apart, piece by piece. To make him pay...to utterly destroy him. 

 _So close...so close..._

 _So close..._  

As his poisonous, boiling thoughts came to through, he began to hear voices. Quiet, English-speaking, accented voices. 

"...-tate?" 

"She...commute there through...it's bad." 

"Th-...back...?" 

"...-ow. I heard..." 

As the conversation slowly went on, his hearing began to clear. 

"But it was...-ree of them, I heard."   
'  
"In that area...the reports are still coming." 

"They took a lot of people too, so there's no way to know how many are missing now." 

"Do you think they're related to  _him?"_  

"Yeah, probably, there's no w- _Oh my God!"_  

"What!?  _What!?"_

"He's waking up!" 

"Huh? Oh  _shit!_ His eyes are twitching!" 

"Everyone, move move  _move!"_

He finally opened his eyes, and with their enhanced supernatural abilities, his eyes adjusted themselves to see clearly. 

Tiny footmen were standing  _on_ him, faces twisted into various expressions of fear and surprise. The earthly sky was dark, and he saw the walls of the crater that damn Seron... 

He took him. 

He realized it immediately. 

He took Arum... 

He denied him... 

A blazing fury welled up into him, his formerly tired visage darkening with hideous anger. 

Hatred renewed, his eyes glowed.

  
\-----

  
On the opposite side of the hole, Beck and Lucas were inside one of the tents with three other soldiers and one scientist. All of them bore faces of dread and barely suppressed fear. It was like the air inside was being constricted.   
  
Lucas had been the first one to receive the call, and was looking-or more correctly,  _glaring-_  at the diagram of the blonde giant.   
  
"Nothing," he murmured lowly, his irritation palpable. "We've still got jackshit."   
  
The scientist, Dr. Jeffrey Settler, a man with considerable pudge and a crisp beard, pulled at the collar of his jacket nervously. "This was the most we could gather. He might definitely be out of this world like he had thought. Even with a strand of his hair, there is nothing on Earth we can compare it to. It's obvious that he operates on a different physiology than we humans can. And even then, under what we can make out from the microscope, it's hard to determine how exactly makes him tick."   
  
"And with no apparent alliance with other nations from what we can gather from his uniform," one of the other soldiers, Lt. Iris Hawk, a tall woman with short, brown hair, "It's impossible to get a clear reading on any ties he would have with any nationals."   
  
Beck scoffed, "If he did have any, there's no way they'd fess up in the first place."   
  
"So far, we don't even know what they're after."   
  
Second Lieutenant Peyton Arlin, an older, balding soldier with a long red scar running across his cheek, "If it's world domination, you'd think they'd be a bit more active than this. Coming and going with hundreds of people...what are they really after? Are they going to experiment on them? Take them to their home planet? Or wherever the hell they're from?"   
  
Master Sargent Ethan Wicker, a short man with dark hair and glasses, voiced his opinion. "Well, even if we could figure out, what they're doing, it'd be pointless since we're not the division to figure that out."   
  
_"Pointless?"_  
  
Peyton slammed his hands down on the table, glaring at the smaller man. "How is that pointless!? We have literal people the size of  _buildings_  showing up without warning and then out of sight! How the hell is it pointless to figure out where these people are being taken?"   
  
Wicker, despite his shorter stature, made up more for his presence, giving a harsh glare to the older soldier. "I'm saying it's pointless for  _us_ to try to make a move until we understand how they come and go in the first place. They have the upperhand. We go in blind, we die."   
  
"So what? You think the general's honestly going to keep focusing on the survivors and then what?  _Hope for the best?"_    
  
"I'm  _saying_ we should increase guard of the giant we have here and not rush to our deaths like idiots-"   
  
" _Men,"_ interjected Lt. Hawk interjected, her voice sharp. "We aren't here to fight or debate. For goodness sake, we're in the middle of a crisis!" She looked back at Lucas and Beck, who were at the opposite end of the table, "What action should be taken?"   
  
"We're still not sure if this guy may have a weakness, or if he is even affiliated with those other giant's." Beck put in, crossing his arms. "It's likely though."   
  
Lucas placed a hand under a chin in thought, "Even then, we barely know anything him at all or his motives. If more show up, we have no idea if they are even willing to negotiate. Especially when we have him surrounded like this."   
  
There was no absolute answer, more apparent than ever before.   
  
Beck turned his head to look at the nervous Dr. Settler. "What do you think, doc?"   
  
The scientist jumped a bit, not expecting to be addressed. "Me?"   
  
"Who else?"   
  
Dr. Settler looked around to see all eyes on him. He grew hot under the collar and forced himself to calm down. "I don't know if I'm qualified to give an answer on all this..." he started, "But...given all that we know, and all that's happening and has happened, I think we...should..."   
  
Dr. Settler stopped talking as an alarming sound began met his, as well as everyone else's, ears.   
  
Gunshots.   
  
The group looked at each other, sharing the look of absolute dread and astonishment before they rushed out of the tent.   
  
The gunfire that was heard was louder and more rapid. A torrent of horrific screams and swears were sounding off, rising in volume.   
  
The soldiers were scrambling, moving every which way. But Lucas had noticed that the gunfire wasn't immediately around him, with no visible shots being seen above ground.   
  
But coming from the crater where many of his men were beginning to head to.   
  
Ignoring Beck crying out for him, he ran forward towards the immense hole, heart pounding with adrenaline. He immediately pulled his gun out of his holster on instinct, switching the safety off. He stared ahead as the sounds grew more intense and strangled.   
  
And then, something shot up.   
  
Lucas was hit with a powerful updraft that sent him tumbling backwards on the ground. The soldiers closer to the crater were propelled into the air by the gust, literally becoming airborne. Many of them, who had been too close, were sent falling into the crater below with loud, echoing screams.   
  
Lucas, slightly dazed, pushed himself up to witness the long, kevlar cables that had been used to strap the giant down come down heavily with a crash, like enormous dead snakes unraveling from their death throes.   
  
He stared at them for a second before, with absolute horror, turned his head to look up.   
  
With wings that were out of this world, the giant hovered high in the air, completely free from his binds.   
  
And completely awake.   
  
His face filled with an unholy wrath. A visage of murder and contempt.   
  
A vengeful colossus ready to unleash.  
  
Eyes still blazing with a gold light, the giant glowered at the terrified humans below, its brightness an enigma against the darkening sky.   
  
Out of the countless, myriad panicked thoughts running through his head, he three could be made out.  
  
He thought,  _"We're not prepared."  
_  
He thought, _"We're not ready."  
_  
He thought,  _"We'll die here."_    
  
All this in a single heartbeat.   
  
And then, like an errant demon, the giant dived, ready to strike.


	16. Chapter 12 Part 2: Warpath

"GET  _DOWN!"_  
  
Lucas didn't know who issued the order, but he immediately complied, dropping back onto the ground just as the giant swung his arm from above and swiped at a tank that was just beginning to move with tremendous force. He immediately shielded himself from the chunks of earth that rained down upon him. The tank, with one side bent inward upon impact, was sent straight up into the air, catapulted dozens of feet over his head and far into trees, out of his sight. He heard the resounding crash, which echoed fairly loudly above the growing noise of gunfire.   
  
The giant, with incredible speed, retracted his arm and twisted in mid-air, somersaulting above them before landing, crushing a howitzer cannon and its unfortunate operator underfoot before skidding across the forest floor, creating a trench-like trail of crushed metal and plant matter. The ground rumbled heavily as the enormous being began to slow down, the trees toppling like dominoes around his legs and a wave of dust and dirt blowing up from the path of deforestation he created.   
  
The major, eyes wide in shock, watched the giant finally come to a stop over half a mile ahead, his wings seemingly evaporating away before he turned around to look back at the gathering forces, his eyes shining like sirens. Just as Lucas managed to get to his feet, he watched the giant begin to move again, trudging through the underbrush and bramble as if they were nothing but overgrown grass. With the vast majority trees leveled at his calves at highest, he was easily seen making his way back even from a formidable distance, that he was closing in significantly.   
  
Needless to say, negotiation looked like it was off the table.   
  
Despite the absolute dread building up in his sternum, Lucas remembered himself, as Major Walker of the D Company and 24th Battalion, and quickly turned and faced the soldiers around him. With a loud and commanding voice, he sprinted through his subordinates and barked out, "All units, get to your stations and aim for the head!"   
  
Those that heard his voice, under his command or not, were already scrambling to follow the order, arming themselves up and taking aim. Several AFVs sprung forward, the sound of engines revving and mechanical cranking filled the air, all facing towards the giant who was advancing upon them, unimpeded in the slightest of the sight of arsenal facing towards him. Surface to Air missiles were aligning up and forward, straight to the trekking giant as other soldiers rushed into position to arm themselves with rockets. A frantic soldier, running towards one of the L16 mortars, passed by him just as he managed to reach for one of the stocked weaponry situated next one of tents.   
  
Just as he heaved one of the missile launchers into his arms and took aim at the giant who had already halved the distance and now framed in the crosshairs, he yelled out " _Fire!"  
  
_ Volleys of missiles and rockets propelled forward in less than a second, trails of smoke and flame alighting the air as they streamed through the sky towards their target at an awesome speed...   
  
...that wasn't fast enough.   
  
So quickly did the giant move, Lucas could have sworn there was an afterimage in the spot he'd been. The missiles and rockets missed their target, hitting the ground and trees, the subsequent explosions sending out multiple shockwaves that rocked the earth.    
  
Lucas's mouth dropped, looking at the rising fires and scorched area.   
  
 _What the hell?_  
  
"Where'd he  _go!?"_ Lucas cried out among the panicked and equally puzzled shouts.   
  
 _"Left!"  
  
_ Lucas turned his head just in time to see the golden-eyed colossus straightening up another half mile away, having somehow bounded several hundred feet away from the impact, looking at the enormous plume of smoke and the cindering patch of land he'd previously stood. He turned his attention back to the hundreds and hundreds of soldiers near the crater, who wasted no time reloading. Orders were heard as squads re-positioned themselves, redirecting the line of fire as quickly as possible.   
  
This already looked like it was going to be a disaster.    
  
He quickly reloaded the missile launcher, waving off the smoke left from the blowback. He had a sinking feeling that the second time wouldn't work, but they lacked any other options. Especially now that the giant had refocused that ominous gaze back on them.  
  
The next fusilllade of missiles and rockets were fired once more, aiming once again at the giant.    
  
As they tore through the sky, he watched carefully to see if the giant would once again blink out from in front of them.   
  
Instead, just as they closed in, he watched the giant dip down, ducking the incoming attacks as they flew over him and charged forward.   
  
He crossed the gap in less than two seconds.   
  
Lucas had no idea what happened when a powerful cyclone hit everyone in his vicinity, sending everything that wasn't nailed or weighted down flying several feet up. While he had managed to barely grab the side of a post in time, he watched as several soldiers, weapons, and even the looser tents and lighter vehicles that had been in the front soar around in a cyclical motion, spinning around uncontrollably before coming down. He paled a bit when he witnessed several of his men fall to the ground at horrid angles, no doubt dying upon impact. He saw one of the jeeps landing on one of the soldiers, crushing him.    
  
As he steadied himself on his feet, he looked around and saw a swath of crunched vehicles and metal, along with, to his absolute horror, streaks of blood where several soldiers had once been.   
  
He could only stare at the spot for a moment before he looked back up to the giant's new location.   
  
The giant was now standing in front of the crater, his imposing figure towering over them all. His eyes beheld the humans below him contemptuously. To see the actual thing standing at full height...Lucas wondered if his vision was warping.   
  
"Where is  _he?"_    
  
To hear the giant actually speak was startling to say the least. At least the reports that he could speak English proved to be true.   
  
"Where is  _Arum?"_  he specified, the glow in his eyes lessening until his they were visible, pupils narrowed vertically and trained on the soldiers who could only look up at him in various expressions of shock and fear.   
  
 _Arum?_  
  
 _Didn't the students mention something about Jonah being called..._  
  
Lucas felt his stomach lurch when he thought back to the files he was given. There was nothing about Jonah that implicated him as anyone else, let alone...   
  
When the giant didn't receive an immediate answer, he growled lowly.   
  
Before anyone could react, the giant bent down and reached for a pair of soldiers who had been frozen in their spots. In one smooth motion, the giant grabbed the soldiers in one hand and drew them up into the air in a fist. They screamed the entire way up and were soon at his chest level, which was over one hundred feet in the air.   
  
The giant bore down on them for a moment before he spoke, "If you don't tell me where he is, I'll kill you all, starting with these two."   
  
The giant's cold tone and display of violence left no room for doubt, and Lucas found himself sweating heavily. Especially since they truly had no way of answering him.   
  
"Who's Arum!?" someone had screamed up to the giant, who the giant gave a brief look to, eyes narrowing.   
  
"Heh, figures." He mumbled like thunder, before he glanced back down at the two men in his hand.   
  
They screamed louder, as it became evident to Lucas that he was beginning to  _squeeze_  them, making due on his threat. While he couldn't make out their facial features, he could imagine their agony as the giant's tightened around them. An unhealthy strangled sound began to come out from one of them, and Lucas was sure that he was going to break them the next second.   
  
That was until, a keening sound ripped through the air and the giant was hit in the back and side with two missiles.   
  
The giant stumbled forward, looking shocked for a moment, and turned his head to look at his surprise attacker, the soldiers below also looking on.   
  
The attack helicopters had finally appeared in sight, like black silhouettes in the dark blue sky. They were high above the ground and hovering hundreds of feet in the air some distance away. Evened out to fourteen, they came in from the south and were readying themselves to launch another attack.   
  
Lucas felt a small bit of relief, which proved to be short lived.   
  
Without looking, the giant dropped the two humans, who hurdled to the ground below. The giant seemed preoccupied with the incoming helicopters to watch their descent, and his eyes flashed brightly once more.   
  
Without another word, the giant sprinted towards them, leaving a powerful gust that swept anything or anyone close to him reeling up.   
  
The remaining soldiers managed to regather themselves as they returned to reload as soon as they could.   
  
Now, with the giant's attention on the helicopters, Lucas knew he had to call in for backup.   
  
The major reached for his side and grabbed up his communicator, patching through almost immediately.   
  
General Merider's voice came through,  _"General Merider speaking. Report."_  
  
"This is Major Walker. The giant is awake and on the attack. Requesting immediate reinforcement and aerial support."    
  
Walker heard the general say something to someone, muffled by the sound of static but he came back to the line within seconds.  _"Sent. Tell me, what's happening?"_  
  
Lucas watched as the giant walked towards the helicopters, that raised higher into the air, "He is definitely hostile. He seems to be capable at moving at sonic speeds. As from the reports, he is capable of speaking English, but negotiation is not possible. He is about to engage our current aerial support, but we need more o-"   
  
Lucas was cut off when he witnessed the giant change speed, and leap high into the air with a single bound, one hand outstretched towards one of the helicopters in his range.   
  
The helicopter swerved to the left, but that had proven to be too slow when the giant grabbed the front of the cockpit, pulling the helicopter down from the air as he landed. Just as his feet touched the ground, he twisted away from the missiles fired from one of the other helicopters, and frowned. The giant promptly crushed the front of the helicopter in his hand, killing the pilot, and threw the wreckage at another. The pilot of the second helicopter had barely any time to react when the still rapidly rotating rotors of the half-destroyed one came at him. The rotor cut through the front, whipping the side of his door so hard, it destroyed the control panel, and left him unable to regain control of his own.   
  
The helicopter spun out of control and soon crashed down into the distance, blowing up upon impact.   
  
But the giant was already focused on the helicopters that were still in the sky, and soon, those weirdly space-like wings materialized once more. Once they were fully out, the giant launched himself up into the sky.   
  
The giant purposefully neared one helicopter, which swung to the right, just as his shoulder passed by.   
  
Only for the giant's right "wing" to go through the helicopter, a superheated line appearing at the center before it came apart in two, sheered in half. Both sides fell, the one containing the frightened and bewildered pilot hitting the ground first before the tail end followed.   
  
The pilot of the helicopter above, which had just fired off two missiles which the giant deftly dodged, only had a split second to recover from his own shock when the giant's two hands reached on both sides of his copter. He switched to the machine guns, as the giant got too dangerously close for him to launch any more incendiary rounds, which seemed to have little to no effect. He got a quick look at the giant's annoyed countenance right before he the giant's hands came down from both sides, crushing the cockpit hard enough to bend the metal into him and having everything blow up in his face.   
  
The giant watched the wreckage drop out, having clapped the machine and its pilot like an over-sized mosquito. He lifted his head back up to watch the other attack copters fire more missiles upon him, which he easily dived away from, and came for them once more.   
  
Lucas had seen the whole thing, and gritted his teeth as his hands tensed on the radio. "Send in jets. He's taking down the copters. We need more on deck."   
  
There was a high-pitched screech from behind as another round of missiles were shot out, heat seekers that were coming for the giant who his back turned to the ground-based soldiers.   
  
But the giant soon took notice of it in merely a moment, and turned to his left, for the missile to hit one of the helicopters that had been along the same line of its trajectory. It went down in flames, and the giant looked back at the ground based forces, which were now firing once more a hail of rockets, bullets and missiles at once.   
  
However, before the giant could dodge them, one of the copters, who had taken full advantage of the distraction, fired off two missiles that hit the giant's shoulder. The giant cried out, just as several of the other missiles and rockets hit him in the chest and arms, popping off in smoke and fire.  
  
A direct hit.  
  
Lucas's eyes widened in shock.   
  
The giant actually fell out of the sky and fell down, the ground underneath him quaking upon impact. A massive haze of dust could be seen where the giant came down, obscuring him from sight.   
  
He could hear voices of excitement and shock all around him.   
  
"He's down! He's down!"   
  
"Reload before he gets back up!"   
  
"Hurry! Hurry! Don't let up!"   
  
"Go, go,  _go!"  
  
_ While the soldiers moved, Lucas still felt extremely uneasy. They had witnessed his regeneration beforehand and it was clear he was probably still alive. But the fact that they might have a chance made him feel as though there was hope in actually lasting up against him, at least until reinforcements arrived.   
  
But that thought was dashed when looked to see the giant's shadowed figure slowly standing back up through the wall of dust. His eyes were still bright, like headlights in the fog, and were on them.   
  
The giant stepped through the dust, looking positively livid. His uniform was singed at most, but he could see patches of white light where the tears were, his skin healing at an alarming rate.   
  
He heard Beck's voice from somewhere behind him, tone incredulous and fearful. "The machines weren't working...we should have called for backup ages ago."   
  
"Regroup!" yelled one of the other majors, who watched as the colossal being, who seemed to have recovered from the pincer attack, stomp out of the dust clouds before lifting his arms, eyes glowing brighter than ever before.   
  
A strange thing happened with the giant as he lifted his arms.   
  
And the skin began to flake and  _sizzle_  rapidly, becoming a mass of rotating particles that deteriorated before closing in around his arms. A strange, gray metallic coating began covering them, funneling up his forearms and hands, and ending as sharp spears that glinted under the moonlight.    
  
Just as the particles dispersed, the giant took back to the air and flew over their heads, disappearing back down into the crater he had previously laid in.   
  
Lowering his missile launcher to the direction of the crater, he waited anxiously for the enormous being to pop back up and launch another attack. His heart pounded in his ears. His breathing came out shallow and unsteady. Never had he been so on edge in his entire life. But after several tense seconds of inactivity and horrid silence, nothing happened.   
  
Until the ground beneath his feet shook intensely, more than ever before.   
  
Lucas struggled to remain on his feet, as everything shuddered without end. He wound up catching himself on his free hand and knees, his occupied hand tenaciously gripping the missile launcher in anticipation.   
  
The pebbles underneath rattled and trees wobbled. The vast majority of soldiers were barely able to steady themselves, crying out in shock and panic as the forest floor crackled.   
  
A crack started up on one side from the crater's edge and began to work its way forward, making its way through towards a tank, and going underneath them, twisting its way forward to another.   
  
Perturbed, Lucas watched the crack work its way through the ground, under a series of tanks, AFVs, soldiers...   
  
...that were almost perfectly aligned in a row...   
  
With terrible clarity, the major put two and two together and yelled out, "Everybody,  _move!_ Get away!"   
  
But it was too late.   
  
A fissure opened up under the vehicles and footmen so fast, that many didn't process what was happening until they all began to fall through. The ground collapsed away as tanks, humvees, and missile-armed vehicles toppled through the sudden gap, crumpling as they hit the fissure walls. He heard the cries of those who were close enough, with a few lucky ones managing to grab onto the sides for their lives, while others continued to fall, with or without screams.   
  
And then, the tank at the very end, which was rolling away from the gap that was making its way towards him, was suddenly impaled by one of the sharp, metal spears of the colossus, who burst through the ground nanoseconds later, and into the sky. The giant's arms sizzled once more, with the spears reshaping itself back into his hands, and he took the tank into one hand before it could fall away. Then, with amazing accuracy, he threw it towards one of the helicopters that had been in his line of fire.   
  
So shocked by the giant's reappearance had the pilot been that he didn't have time to maneuver out of the way in time. The tank crashed down on top of the copter, bending and breaking the rotors off, and the helicopter dropped out, landing on another which was also sent spinning out and down from the sudden weight.   
  
He eyed the remaining helicopters, which stayed at a cautious distance, and flew towards them, on the attack.   
  
Lucas quickly picked up his radio once more, and foregone all mannerisms, "Sir, what's the ETA for reinforcement?"   
  
 _"They should be there in four minutes,"_ came General Merider's quick response, hushed and clear.   
  
"Sir, we might not last that long," Lucas answered grimly, watching the blond giant take down another copter, the hunk of metal crashing quite a ways away.   
  
 _"Keep bombarding him. Lieutenant Colonel Hendrix informed me that he has arranged for Hernandez's group to join up with you."_  
  
While the Lt. Colonel was under Merider's command and in charge of their battalion, he was stationed a ways from their position, there was no way they get to their position in four minutes.   
  
Another helicopter went down, and Lucas had to fight down his rising panic as it became evident that it was only a matter of time until he'd take them all down. The resume to continue fire had been issued by someone, and the remaining forces, having been reduced to nearly half from the previous onslaught, were firing away at the giant, who managed to avoid and dodge them with aerial maneuvers so smoothly, it looked like they didn't have a prayer of hitting him once more.   
  
With a devastating punch, the giant knocked the last of the attack helicopters out of the sky, and refocused his attention on the surviving ground troops who had been firing at him the entire time.   
  
Four minutes was  _too_  long.   
  
The missiles and rockets continued to miss again and again, changing more and more of the forest into flaming ruin. With all the current aerial aid down, they could only attack from below, which proved to be unsuccessful now that they had the giant's undivided attention.   
  
Then just as the next barrage of missiles were prepared, the giant held out one hand behind him.   
  
Lucas took a step back, the giant seemed to have no shortage of tricks.   
  
The empty air where the giant held his hand out began to distort, actually visibly  _rippling_ as though it was water, as a light flowed out of his palm.   
  
Before he could even begin to try comprehending what he was doing, missiles were launched overhead and on the course towards him.   
  
And then, a white distortion appeared in midair, a portal easily twice as tall as the giant was.   
  
The giant flew into the portal, with the missiles and rockets tailing behind. They disappeared into the white abyss, only leaving streaks of smoke behind.  
  
When the last of the rockets entered, the portal white light diminished rapidly, shrinking out of existence.   
  
Confusion gripped the remaining soldiers, who looked around the sky. Aside from the sound of people trying to look around, it was all quiet.    
  
The giant was gone, as were all of the missiles and rockets that followed him.   
  
Lucas blinked.   
  
 _Did he...escape?  
  
Did he give up or just decided fighting them wasn't worth it...?   
  
But why? It was obvious he had the advantage... _  
  
"Lucas!"   
  
Hearing someone addressing him by his first name, he turned his head.    
  
Further away, around the borders of the trees, was a dark-skinned man and best friend, whose eyes were also scanning the air frantically for the giant. "That was an actual  _portal_...where'd you think he is now?"   
  
"I don't know," he called out to Beck, who was lowering his rocket launcher to one side. "Regroup. We're going to have to let the higher ups know he's just like one of the..."   
  
An earthquake cut him off, along with the sudden reemergence of the white light.   
  
This time, positioned directly above the group of soldiers from over a thousand feet above.   
  
All eyes went skyward, and watched as the blinding light expanded and swirled.   
  
Lucas couldn't make anything out clearly, and was forced to shield his eyes.   
  
At least, until he heard the whistling sound come from inside the portal.   
  
Through half-lidded eyes, he managed to see specks of black and red intermixed into the white void. Sparkling...twinkling... They grew closer towards him and soon, he could make out some of its features. They were round and cylindrical...with fires behind them. Metallic...   
  
The missiles and rockets, coming straight down towards the mass of soldiers.   
  
Lucas didn't get a chance to even run.   
  
The last thing he got the chance to hear was Beck call out his name before a misaligned rocket came down right next to him.   
  


\----- 

So, it really was just as Commander Regis had said. 

And it was already beginning. 

Jonah found himself inexplicably cold all the sudden, his skin prickling and himself shivering from a nonexistent draught. 

"Wh-what...? You mean...those Siras colony people you guys were...?" 

"Yes," Seron stated, walking by the table they were on and towards one of the holographic monitors on the wall, "Not  _your_ town or anywhere in your state, if that offers any reassurance. They've gathered up people." 

" _Gathered up..._ what do you mean,  _'gathered up!?'_ "

Seron didn't answer him immediately, pressing a red button on the wall before looking back at the humans on the five-story table. "They abducted hundreds of people from one of the highways. We don't have an exact number yet. We're having one of our specialists examine the footage from the news and one of the drones that was closest to the area." 

Jonah scrambled to his feet, wincing as his arm throbbed from the motion. "Abduct people...from  _highways!?_ Wait,  _why!?"_ he pointed to himself with a shaky finger, "Weren't they mainly after me? Or Arum or whoever has that Key thing? Why are they taking people!?" 

"I don't know for certain," Seron answered, returning to the table to look down at the teens who could only gaze up at him. "Without knowing their location or position, we can only make assumptions at this point. It's possible they are keeping them as hostages or ground labor, but there's no absolute." 

"Are...are you kidding me?  _This quickly!?_ " Jonah's voice trembled, his lips quivering as he raised a shaky hand to cup his forehead, "Y-you've gotta be screwing with me..." He lowered his hand and called up to the enormous alien soldier, "Can't you just...use your drones to track them down? I mean, that's how you guys operate, right? Or track them by DNA or something?" 

Seron shook his head, "I'm only capable of sensing and locating those whom I've met previously, which makes this situation odd if you're truly not associated with Arum. Also, a team are already scanning the visual feed from the drone as we speak. But we have no idea where they are, whether they're in space or on earth. Chances are, wherever they are, they've just arrived recently." 

"No, no, no...you can't tell me that!" Jonah cried out, teeth gritted in agitation. "I can't accept that...I  _can't!_ I mean, you guys have been watching the earth for a decade! How can you  _not_  track them down?" 

"Jonah..." whispered Rachel, worried.  

"We've just got the news before I came here. We're going as fast as we possibly can," Seron responded, wary of the human's growing panic and frustration.

Jonah gripped his hair in his hands, his green eyes etched in desperation. "You guys aren't making any sense! About anything! You bring me here...thinking I'm Arum...telling me that I have his DNA or some  _bullshit_  like that and expect me to have his... _powers!?_ How in the world am I supposed to know anything about his powers or abilities or whatever when I come at me with news about me being human or not!? And just what the hell do you expect me to do if I  _don't?_ Are you going to keep me up here forever? Not like I can figure out for myself when..." Jonah found himself gasping mid-sentence, unable to go on steadily. 

His head was throbbing. 

 _"Ungh..._ ow..." He mumbled, eyes blearing as he felt a splitting headache come through. 

Rachel, who had gotten to her feet some time ago, placed a hand on his shoulder. "H-hey. Jonah? You alright?" 

"What wrong?" asked Seron, who was taken aback from the nineteen-year-old's sudden change in demeanor. 

"N-nothing," he muttered, grasping his head, "Just a headache. I'm stressed. It'll go away. Just please, tell me there's something you can do." 

Seron opened his mouth, but a second voice came through the unseen intercom, louder than ever. It was Commander Regis speaking, in that language that the aliens spoke, deep bass and reverberating. 

But whatever he had said, was enough for to spring the giant into action, as he quickly dashed out of the room, leaving the two humans. His footsteps could be heard from behind the door, and soon were no longer audible after a few seconds. 

Rachel was the only one cognizant of his leave however. Jonah felt his head painfully thrumming, feeling as though it was going to split. 

"Jonah...Jonah are you really okay!?" came her voice, sounding fairly warped and muted for some reason, as if underwater. The world blurred, going in and out of focus. He saw the heavily blurred figure of his friend appear in front of him, her arms catching him as he suddenly found himself falling forward. 

While he couldn't make out her features all that clearly, he thought he saw her eyes widen and her mouth drop. She gasped, and while his hearing still sounded very distorted, he heard her cry out something. 

"Oh my God...Jonah...your  _eyes!"_

\----- 

Rupert had heard the gunshots, even from the distance. Birds had scattered out of the trees and took off, flying overhead as the Humvee he and his escort rode in traversed the rough terrain. Aside from the moonlight that peeked through the treetops above and the vehicle lights, they were travelling mostly in darkness. The ride was bumpy, as the trail they had been on had been hastily in the beginning. The vehicle turned at odd angles on the mossy slopes and he found himself bouncing in his seat a couple times. 

"Do you hear that?" the civilian asked the driver, who he later learned had went by Private Clement Scott, who turned around briefly to look in the direction he was looking. 

"I do," he answered, facing back forward, continuing onward. "Something's going on, but I still have to get you out of here to the evacuation zone. Still..." 

The soldier reached to one of the panels next to the steering wheel, and commed in, "This is Private Clement Scott of the 24th Battalion, what is the situation? Over." 

Instead of a direct, worded response, the two listened in horror as the sound they were met with was screaming and shouting, along with erratic gunfire. There was buzzing and strange sounds of metal and a boom. 

The soldier reached forward and pressed the button again. "I repeat: this is Private Clement Scott. Do you read? Over." 

Again, nothing clear outside of panic stricken words and orders were heard beyond the buzzing. 

Rupert, gripping the door side of his chair tightly in worry, looked to the driver. "What's the matter?" 

"Don't know. I'll try again," he said, frowning deeply. "I repeat: this is Private Scott. Do you  _read?"_

Rupert watched anxiously as the soldier tried once again. 

Suddenly, he heard a sound of strained metal from above and looked up. 

Tumbling through the sky, was a crumpled tank, rotating in the air. 

Coming straight for them. 

  
 _"JUMP!"_ he cried out, grabbing the door of the still moving humvee and leaping from his chair and onto the ground. He tumbled painfully across the dirt and into a tree. 

Clement, who had been focusing on the radio, comprehended the situation a half second too late. 

The tank came down before just as he was about to jump out, flattening him and the entire front of the humvee under its weight. The humvee exploded, sending the tank rolling upside-down and the pieces of shrapnel and glass flying around. 

A couple of stray pieces of metal nicked Rupert across the cheek and upper arm. He covered his ears and closed his eyes and the resulting explosion nearly deafened him. The tree he had wound up behind absorbed the brunt of the damage from the broken pieces of the humvee, shielding him from the glass that would have penetrated his torso had he not been fortunate enough. 

After a couple seconds, he slowly opened his eyes and looked at the burning wreckage a couple dozen feet away from him in disbelief. He didn't even notice the blood dribbling down his cheek or staining his sleeve. He could barely stand, his legs were shaking so badly.

 _What the hell just happened?_

Suddenly, there was a sound of the ground ahead being scraped away, and he looked in time to see a riptide of dust and dirt bloom upwards, trees being reduced to splinters as something undoubtedly heavy was coming his way. 

Then, he saw the blond giant. Higher than the trees and skidding across the forest. 

The Englishman took cover under the tree he was behind, and looked up to see the giant come to a complete stop a little over thirty odd feet away. On his back were weirdly shaped, galactic-looking wings that were speckled with white, which began to evaporate as he straightened up. His eyes were unbelievably bright, basking everything he looked at in a golden glow. 

Just like the reports. 

The giant's gaze focused on the destroyed tank and Humvee, missing the hidden human completely. He didn't know if he was even aware that there was an observe in his mists...or did he simply not care? 

The giant, however, didn't invest anymore time at looking as he turned around and walked away, his footfalls quaking the earth and tearing through the trees and brush indiscriminately. 

Rupert could only stare in shock as the giant moved forward until he was out of his sight. 

He became aware of his surroundings when the crinkling sound of burning trees entered his ears, and he remembered exactly where he was...mostly. 

he looked somberly at the wreckage, where the Private Clement had been and quietly said a quick prayer before he ran away from the expanding fires, trying to find another way back to the route...or at least he had hoped.  

That had happened in the beginning. 

After that, all he could make out around him was utter chaos. He heard the resounding bomb blasts and felt the shockwaves all around him on every side, and dipped under a leaning tree for cover. The ground under him was jagged and soppy, but that was the least of his problems when he heard the sound of explosions popping off sporadically. The military was attacking the giant with all they had, and he heard the countless missiles and rockets and bombs go off again and again, turning entire areas into scorched earth. The consecutive shockwaves could be felt from his position, and he worried that the tree would come down on him...or worse, a missile blowing him up. 

This had proven to be the worst case scenario, and he'd only been there for less than twenty-four hours. 

While he was far from a coward, at least to the best of his knowledge, he hadn't expected to find himself in something of this magnitude upon arrival. 

Would he survive this? Were the soldiers okay? Troy? Anissa? Beck? That major and the rest of his men? 

His thoughts were drowned out by the another round of explosions that sounded off from a distance. 

He covered his head as the blasts continued on, endlessly. 

For what seemed like eternity, the sky alighted with powerful explosions and flares, and the ground rocked until it all came to a very sudden stop. 

A minute of absolute silence went by, followed by another and then another. 

After a full three minutes of nothing, Rupert slowly removed his arms from his head and crawled out from the shadow of leaning tree. 

He didn't bother to wipe the dirt off the back of the military jacket he was given as he nervously scanned the sky. There was nothing. 

He huffed for several hard seconds before he gathered his wits. 

"Holy..." he mumbled as he took uneasy steps back, catching himself on a lopsided tree stump. This was easily the most frightening experience in his whole life. And it was a miracle he survived it at all. 

Now that he had managed to realize just what had happened with the giant and the assault, he realized the situation he was in. 

He had to get back to the crater and find another way through. 

He looked at further away and noticed the trail that they had previously been going through before the sudden attack. He immediately went for it, stepping through the dense foliage until he was back on the dirt path. Once he was there, he sprinted down the slope, making his way back to the main area, where the soldiers had to have re-prepping themselves. 

He proved to have far more athleticism than he originally thought he had, or rather, the situation had granted him such, with adrenaline running through his veins and the downward hills granting him more speed and velocity. He was able to get close enough to the area he'd been only minutes later. 

And was so taken back from the sight, he turned to the bushes and heaved. 

Everything around the crater was engulfed in flames, with traces of blood painted across the ground. The tents were torn from their foundations and already reduced to nothing but sticks for the most part. The remaining vehicles and weapons, shrouded in a blazing haze, were scattered across the ground, unattended. An inferno was seen further on the edges of the trees, reducing whatever dark shapes in it to tar. And the bodies...the scorched and torn bodies...it was all too much. 

He covered his mouth with a trembling hand, staring in abject horror at the ghastly sight. 

Were they all...? 

He lost the strength in his legs and fell to his knees, helplessly watching everything burn to cinder. 

It took another earthquake to bring him away from the horrible fires and he looked up just in time to see the sky ripple before a white, swirling circle appeared. 

He could only watch in terror as the giant he seen before reappeared. He dropped out from the white void and landed heavily on the other side of the crater, his glowing eyes looking at the destruction below his feet. Those eyes seemed to glow as bright as the flames themselves, and Rupert could only imagine what kind of monster were they all being pitted against. 

The giant didn't say a word, as he looked around the crater...and then... _sighed._

 __"What a waste of time," the giant rumbled coldly, the glow of his eyes dying out, turning incredibly human.

Rupert found himself inexplicably angry from the remark. 

All those soldiers...all those people... 

He considered himself a patient man. Feelings like anger didn't come to him so easily. But he was now experiencing true, unadulterated and unhindered rage at the moment. 

He gripped his hands into fists that shook, his eyes hard as he stared at the giant. 

And before he could yell out to him, to call him out as the true monster he was, a second light opened in the sky. 

And a second giant, with brown hair and dressed in a blue uniform, dropped out, grabbing the surprised blond giant and slamming his head into the ground. 


	17. Chapter 13: Scream

The crackling of fire served as a distinctly constant hum as the tall blazes danced impetuously across the burning forest. The minute flecks of embers flaked away in the air, smoke billowing into the dark sky and casting a gray haze. The moon and stars, indifferent to the terrestrial mayhem below, illuminated their ghostly lights from high above. Two figures, taller than the remaining trees that survived the detonations and fires, were in the midst of it all, relatively still. 

Seron had Terez pinned to the ground, pressing him against the earth hard enough to leave an imprint. The blond Siras soldier tried to push his head up, but Seron, despite being significantly shorter than the other giant, had more than enough considerable strength to keep him rooted. Holding his arms behind his back and immobile with his other arm, the younger soldier wouldn't be able to teleport from underneath him nor summon any help. 

The sight of countless burned remains of soldiers littered across the ground made him feel a strong sense of guilt and immeasurable regret. 

In that short moment when he came looking for Zelleron and the humans to inform them of the immediate events that had taken place...that seemingly brief and infinitesimal moment, Terez had awoken to lay waste to the small aliens who resembled his own kind and who wouldn't have been able to properly fight back.

He had come too late. 

But he fought those feelings away to focus on his cornered adversary. Despite the incredible, sweltering heat of the surrounding infernos, Seron felt a cold fury travel through his veins. His eyes narrowed at the enemy soldier underneath him.

"Explain yourself," he said coldly and composed, despite the rage that burned inside him. 

The blond struggled to move his head, and Seron barely allowed it, only so that he would be able to hear him answer.  

Head faced sideways, Terez managed to look up at the lieutenant general with equal contempt. 

"Self defense," He grunted out, before giving the Viran soldier a rather evil and triumphant grin, "...is that what you want to hear?" 

The blond gasped and coughed when Seron lifted his head and slammed it back on the ground hard enough to leave a crater. The blond squinted his eyes in obvious pain, but the Viran soldier refused to let up even a fraction. He had just enough self control in him to not crush his head in. 

At least for the time being. 

"You could have just  _left."_ Seron said in a low voice with barely contained anger. "They weren't much of a threat to you." 

"They tried to tie me down. Whether or not you think they were a threat doesn't matter to me. Besides, what's it to you?" Terez mocked, his voice strained and raspy. Even though his body was assimilated with innumerable microscopic machines that made him physically powerful beyond compare, he wasn't immune to pain. 

His glare intensified upon the meeting those remorseless, golden orbs. 

 _Truth be told Seron, it would have been best if you killed him when you had the chance."_

 __Maybe he should had.

Maybe he should now. 

Despite having been created to serve as a living weapon, Seron felt no satisfaction in killing. He took no pleasure in it, the act of having to take a life, even those who went against the ones he was created to serve for, took a toll on his soul which he still didn't know whether he possessed or not. It had been his handler, back when he was little more than a blank slate, that had emphasized the true value of life. What it meant to respect the living. So even though he served his purpose, he refused to go beyond. 

But even had been tempted in times like this. 

Arum shouldn't had stopped him from killing Terez all those decades ago. A mercy he now regretted.

"Where is your faction stationed?" Seron asked, tone even. He needed answers, so he compartmentalized he feelings. 

Terez responded with a sneer, and the Viran soldier proceeded to then shove his head further into the ground. The blond soldier cried out, no doubt feeling the strain of the bones in his skull. While the nanomachines prevented much damage to his bones and would heal whatever damage was being done to him no matter how miniscule, having his skull pushed into the ground with such force was agonizing. 

 _"Where is your faction stationed?"_  Seron repeated, each syllable carefully enunciated. 

"H-how should I know?" The Siran soldier barely managed to utter through gritted teeth, "...They were supposed to let me know once they found a place. And it's none of your business anyway. At least now we know you damn pests are somewhere on the planet of primitives." Terez's voice dropped lower, his eyes flickering as he gave the other soldier a dangerous look. "Where's Arum?" 

"None of your concern," Seron responded, and just as he felt the blonde's hands begin to come apart from under him, changing shape. 

He'd have none of that, as he rose Terez's head one more time and smashed it down with so much force, Terez's eyes turned back to normal, wide with vertical pupils. Had he been a regular traxian, he would have instantly blacked out, but instead he was left somewhat dazed. The hands reformed and Seron placed more pressure down on them. 

"By Viras Colonial laws and of the laws of Andromeda Conglomerate Seventy-Four Beta-Phi of the Intergalactic Council, you will have the nanomachines decommissioned from your being and be detained until proper ruling has been issued. If you resist, I am permitted to utilize lethal force if necessary." 

Despite his position, he heard the pinned soldier laugh. "Detain me? Like, what? Lock me up? How so? You couldn't bring me back with you the first time, could you? I could just phase out from the ship and leave you all chasing your tails," his laugh died down into a wry, sinister chuckle, "I'm not some starry-eyed, naive child anymore. You and I both know that. Even an artificial tin-man like you can understand what's really going to happen." Terez's smile disappeared, and his voice became wooden, almost sullen. "You take these machines out of my body and I'll die on the spot. So you're out of your mind if you if think I'll just sit tight and let them do such as thing to me. Not when I can still fight  _back!"_

 __Terez suddenly twisted his body to try to roll Seron off him and go for his ribs.

But Seron had seen the attack coming, and jammed his elbow into his shoulder before throwing him back under him, pinning him back in place. 

Terez continued to try to toss the smaller soldier off him, but Seron held fast and reached his hand for Terez's wrist. Just like him, he had the imbedded transporter and communicator dual device, the silver band glinting with the orange hues of the nearby fires. 

Seron kept one arm on Terez's arms and back while his other reached for the band. Instinctively, he willed the nanomachines within him to act and a metal, coating formed over his fingers, ending as pointed, claw-like metal tips. The band was made out of a strong, durable metal that couldn't be easily broken, even with Seron's greatly enhanced strength, but now, he probably could cut through the metal and- 

A sonic boom ripped through the air, and he looked up just in time for a series of fiery blasts to hit in the side. 

Seron was flung off of Terez and sent careening through across the ground, mowing down trees and boulders as he tumbled. A waft of dust ballooned up in the trail of scraped brush. 

The brunet soldier cringed from the pain in his side, a blistering burning sensation which rapidly dwindled as the nanomachines went to work repairing the injuries. He slowly leaned up, trying to see what hit him when he saw a missile as long as his forearm come straight for him. He tilted his head just in time for it to whiz by and blow up behind him with a loud sound. 

He pushed himself up to his feet and looked further up and behind. 

An assembly of jets soared overhead. F-15s and F-16s breaking out of a formation and twisting to in the air to change direction. 

Reinforcement. 

Still regenerating, he dashed forward and rolled just as another torrent of missiles hit around the spot he had been, igniting new fires and scouring the land. 

As he managed to return to a crouch position, he turned to see Terez standing up, eyes glowing and focused on him. The blond behemoth scowled and looked as though he was about to charge him before the ground in front of him exploded, a hail of machine gun bullets and missile explosions interposing between the two. 

The blond giant sharply turned his head to look at the jets that were once maneuvering to face them. Seron heard the growl that came from the scout and witnessed him sprout wings before he took off in the air. 

Thinking quickly, Seron created his own set of wings and went after him, jetting as quickly as he could after him. 

The blond giant was just about to swat the cockpit of one of the jets that he closed in on when Seron jabbed an elbow into his face and brought his weight down on top of him, forcing him out the sky and back on the ground, creating second large but shallower crater. 

But unlike last time, the blond's arms were free, and he reached behind himself to grab Seron's collar and toss him off him. 

Caught completely off guard, Seron's back impacted the crater wall but he was only given a split second to realize what had happened when Terez punched him in his stomach, causing him to double over. 

Smiling wickedly, Terez clutched Seron's shoulder, digging his fingers in as much as possible to maximize the suffering, and dragged him out of the crater and across the ground. Then, before he could attempt to roll out of his grip, reached down to grab one of his legs. And then, with a heave, Terez spun around. 

Seron was dizzied, as he felt himself being subjected to a strong centrifugal force before the blond let go of his leg and allowed him to veer off forward and hit one of the taller trees, splintering it before he skidded on across his front. He felt his chest and face burn from the friction, his leg throbbing from the other soldier's pull. With jolting movements, he pushed himself up and unsteadily got to his feet, the world still out-of-focus. 

Another sound of detonations was heard, along with a cry coming from Terez. 

Seron turned and saw that a missile had hit the taller soldier on his right side and leg, smoke billowing from the tears in his uniform and his face twisting into a mask of indignant fury as before he took back off into the air and towards one of the jets. 

The pilot within one of the F-15s barrel-rolled out of the way when the blond giant shot an arm out towards him, and nosedived to avoid the other, slipping out of his reach. But he only experienced relative safety for a moment when the giant seemed to perform a back flip and dropped down after him, kicking the left wing right out off. Static fluxed in its absence and the jet hurdled down towards a patch of verdant forest. The pilot screamed into his headgear before impact, the jet exploding into flames and shrapnel. 

Having just recovered, Seron saw the jet's fall and readied to go after Terez once more. The soldier in question was already on his way to intercept another jet, when Seron zoomed back into the air, shattering the ground under him upon takeoff. 

He reached Terez in less than a second, punching him in the jaw and temporarily disabling his aerial momentum. The jet that had been so close to Terez flew by half a second later over the two enormous soldiers, barely avoiding a deadly collision. 

Seeing a somewhat disoriented Terez try to re-stabilize himself in the air, Seron swung forward to send him back to the ground. But he was sent off-kilter when he felt a rain of bullets shower across his back diagonally. He grunted and turned to see several jets coming around to face him. 

 _"Stop!_  I'm not your enemy!" he yelled out in English, holding out a hand to block off the next wave of bullets. While they didn't do much to him, he knew that they were readying the next missiles that would prove to be more effective. 

Which was precisely what happened when three of the jets discharged a collective six missiles that came for him. 

He weaved through the first two, trails of smoke parallel to his head, and flew higher when the next four curved up to follow him. He flew in an arc before breaking it off at the last second with a spiral, the missiles flying by so close he felt the residual heat from their trails. 

He looked back at the jets, and tried once more. "Please wait! I don't wish to harm you! I'm only here for h-" 

He was abruptly cut off when something crashed into him from behind, tackling him out the sky and sending him back onto the earth. Seron, slightly dazed, suddenly found himself in a painful headlock. 

"You're really soft, you know. Maybe too soft," Terez whispered, smiling. "It's going to bite you later on one day." 

Seron didn't bother with a verbal response, instead jamming his hand up to hit him in a palmed uppercut and kicking one of his legs forward to hit Terez in the back of his knee. 

Terez fell down with a shout, with Seron once again standing over him. But only for a moment before he himself had to duck another incoming missile. This time, Terez took the opportunity to roll and get up, and delivered a punch to Seron's chest, sending him stumbling backwards. 

And soon, he was back on the defensive. 

\----- 

As the giants traded blows for blows in the distance, Rupert watched unseen from the ground below. 

To see the two towering beings move through the air and ground was stunning, and his mouth had laid agape the entire time. Fighting in the midst of flames and smoke, the two engaged each other fiercely, their eyes glowing as bright as the stars above. It was all too much to take in at once. Even now, as the new giant in the blue, military uniform blocked the attacks from the other behemoth, he couldn't help but watch with an amalgamated sense of awe and terror. 

Had he not seen the jets turning back to launch another attack, their thrusters beaming in the sky, he would have probably lost all sense of self preservation. 

He slowly and unsteadily got to his feet, standing on trembling legs that threatened to bottom out from underneath him again. 

The fires were beginning to grow, and although the giants were far enough, he knew that it only took one wrong move on their part for him to wound up as another casualty. Especially with the quaking earth servicing as a reminder of just how much power these two beings had. 

The British man took a couple steps back, his eyes still transfixed on the fighting dueling colossi. It was terrifying incredible and incredibly terrifying. 

Something suddenly clenched around his ankle. 

Rupert cried out in surprise and shock, and immediately turned his head to see what had grabbed hold of his leg. 

His face became ashen, jaw quivering in horror. 

It was First Lieutenant Beck, his dark eyes unfocused as he looked up to meet Rupert's wide, blue ones. He was lying on the ground, his right hand gripped around the theoretician's leg. With the orange, flickering hues of the fire illuminating him, the civilian could see that the man's face had a straight gash running across his forehead, blood dribbling down and around the upper part of his face. His uniform was saturated red, and there were small burn marks he could make out from the tears of his jacket and pants. 

Worst of all, from the elbow down, he was missing the better part of his left arm. 

It took a moment for a Rupert to get his mouth working, his eyes unable to focus on one spot as he looked at the soldier's face, arm, body and the trail of blood behind him. "B-Beck...oh God,  _Beck!?_ You're alive! But...oh my God." 

Beck's voice, usually smooth and baritone, came out strained and pained, "What are...doing here? Should be...long gone now." 

"Beck, holy shit! What happened to you?" Rupert shouted, voice panicked. "We have to get out of here, okay? I-I'm going to get you out of here, so bear with me." 

"L-Lucas...they all...he..." Beck barely managed to say, wheezing as though even speaking caused him a great deal of pain, which upon reflection, Rupert realized it probably did. 

"Don't speak, alright?" Rupert said, trying to sound soothing, which was hard to do when his voice kept rising an octave, "I...dear lord you're hurting...okay, okay," Rupert swallowed and crouched back down, stilling himself as best he could. "I'm gonna try to carry us to safety okay? We can't stay here. S-So just...just hang in there.  _Please."_

  
"I...eh...people...everyone is...where's Lucas?" Beck asked once again in a pained voice. 

Rupert bit his lower lip. Either the soldier was suffering from a concussion or was becoming delirious from blood loss. Or both, if the trail of blood and his stained uniform was anything to go by. 

Fighting back tears, Rupert told him in the gentlest voice he could manage to muster, "We'll figure everything out once we're in a better spot, okay? Right now, we need to go. Okay?" 

"L-Lucas?" 

"We're going now," Rupert said, pulling the man's remaining hand from his ankle and around his shoulder and pulled him off from the ground. "Just...try to stand, okay? That's it like that...you're doing great." 

At least the soldier seemed to have his legs both working, as was able to stand a bit before teetering. He leaned into Rupert, eyes unfocused and struggling to remain open. As if unable to remain aware of the carnage around him.

Rupert eyed the bleeding stump of the left arm, wincing in empathy. He would need medical treatment as soon as possible. 

He sincerely hoped and prayed he wouldn't bleed to death. 

Rupert carried Beck, who hobbled in step. The man was wavering in between consciousness, and Rupert had to support most of his weight. 

There was a path that had been "paved" in turn to make way for military vehicles, which was where Rupert made his way, moving through some of the overgrowth with the injured soldier's still functioning arm slung over his shoulder. 

Another boom resounded from the distance and Rupert saw a missile come towards the giants, both of them breaking off their tussle to avoid the fiery blast before the giant in the blue uniform jabbed the other giant in the chest and throat, sending him reeling behind. 

He turned back around. He couldn't focus on them for too long, not with Beck so heavily injured and barely able to remain on his feet. 

"C'mon...we're going to make it out of here, okay?" Rupert said, more to reassure himself than the other man. Beck didn't say anything, looking as though his dark skin was paling a bit. Rupert gulped, watching the other man's head lower, his ability to retain awareness deteriorating. Not good. 

The two slowly made their way towards the second path, and soon were both under the grove of trees once more. The ground continued to shake relentlessly as the giant's continued to fight from far off. Rupert's panic stricken state actually helped him to trudge forward, giving him strength to support holding the man, even when Beck's steps became more sluggard. 

About several hundred feet of walking, another loud boom sounded off; Rupert's heart seized. It had been close. 

He looked back to see one of the jets turn in the air and towards the direction of the giants that were far behind them. 

Then, he saw the blond giant come up above him and bring his knee down onto the cockpit, summarily breaking the air fighter into two, as it came down in a burning spiral. 

Then, he blond lowered down, startling close to Rupert and Beck's position, and Rupert had to shield his eyes when the giant landed roughly a hundred feet away, the ground heaving under his weight. 

When he lowered his arm, he felt his skin crawl. 

The giant was focusing those two glowing eyes on them, one eyebrow raised in skepticism. 

"Huh, looks like I missed a couple..." the giant muttered in a reverberating voice, and came for the them. 

Rupert gasped, heart thrumming in his chest, as he hurriedly tried to pick up the pace, dragging an unresponsive Beck with him, but the giant had closed the gap in only a couple, earthquaking footsteps. 

He didn't even need to look back to know that the giant was upon him, and soon a shadow was cast over him, stretching dozens and dozens of feet beyond and forcing him to look back. 

The blond giant, face strangely neutral, was now almost directly behind them. 

Then, without a word, the giant lifted a boot above them, chunks of dirt coming down around him. 

Rupert's froze in absolute terror, as the foot began to lower. They both were going to die, just like that. 

Then, just as the boot was only a few inches above his head, the blond giant was thrown to the side, an equally gigantic figure nailing him in the side with incredible force and sending him toppling away. 

Before Rupert could begin to process what had just happened, he felt himself and Beck suddenly swept up into the air into something huge and warm. 

The world was topsy-turvy for a couple seconds, the wind hitting his face as he felt everything twist and shake before he was soon back on the ground, deposited in an area with an empty patch of land. 

He briefly saw what held him, a gigantic hand receding back to the blue-uniformed giant's side. The brown-haired giant was already heading back to the blond giant's location, but spared a moment to turn to look at them and ordered, _"Go!_  Get out of here!" 

Rupert, stunned a little, gave a single nod. But the giant had already turned back around and was upon the blond giant once more, who had finished standing back up. 

Rupert had wanted to say something. To ask something. Everything. 

That giant...was he not...? 

He shook his head. Now was not the time. 

Deciding to follow the enormous brunet's sage advice, he kept moving forward. 

The giant had placed them in a good spot it seemed, he was begin to make out the outcropping of the forest area where it met road. Beck was essentially unconscious now though, and Rupert had to pull him onto his back, his head and arm draping over his shoulders. Beck had been a little bit taller than the blond civilian, and heavier, having significantly more muscle than him, but with his adrenaline-addled body, he was able to carry him further and further, closer and closer to the street. 

Just as he was halfway there, he spotted several tanks and humvees sprout forward, cutting him off. They turned off the road and towards the gaps between the trees and onto the road, their lights landing upon the pair. 

He felt a palpable relief arise from within him. 

Hope. 

"Help! He's injured! Do you have a medic?" Rupert called forward as the front-most humvee came to a stop several feet in front of him. A man with tanned skin and a five o'clock shadow hopped out and came forward, walking into the vehicle lights. 

"You're that theoretician, Mr. Denan was it?" the man asked before shifting his eyes to the man on his back. They widened in surprise and horror. 

"Listen, h-he's missing an arm, and needs t-treatment," Rupert said with a stutter. 

Two men came forward from behind, both having a sash with a cross on their arms, and walked to Rupert. They carefully eased the unconscious man off his back and onto a stretcher before taking him away, somewhere behind the darkness of the sky. Rupert couldn't help but feel his hands become clammy from anxiety. He truly hoped they would be able to save the soldier. 

Several of the gun-mounted vehicles and missile carriers moved forward as the man in front of him looked to Rupert, expression darkened. "What happened?" 

Rupert glanced behind him, where he heard a far more distant boom sound off before returning to look at the tanned-soldier. "I don't know the exact details. I was being taken out of here, then a tank crashed down on the vehicle we were riding then...there were just explosions after explosions! When it stopped, I tried to go back to where I thought everyone was but they were _...gone."_ The memory of the burned bodies all around...metal turning to slag in fire, smoke rising to the heavens... 

His body began to tremble, and he looked down at his shaking hands, unable to push the horrible sight form his mind. 

"I-I don't know if there's anyone else...There was so much fire and smoke and...I really don't kn-" 

A hand on his shoulder ripped him from his horrible memories. 

"You've done well. We'll handle it from here," the man said with a sympathetic smile before looking at the driver of the humvee behind him. "Private Jeffrey, escort him to the closest evacuation area." 

"Yes sir," said the driver, dutifully, reopening the side door for the civilian to follow. 

The ground rocked again, a thrum that served as a reminder that they weren't completely safe. Rupert shakily went forward to the humvee and got in, pulling the door behind him. 

A soldier brushed past the vehicle before it turned out to head back on to the road and peeled out. In a quick step, he headed for the man in the forefront. "Major Hernandez, Lt. Colonel Hendrix has just informed us that the other units' ETA are 10 minutes." 

"Inform him that there has been a change. One of the pilots have informed us that there is a second giant besides the behemoth on the move." 

"Understood." 

Another boom echoed from the distance, rattling the ground, and the two turned to see two giants in flight. The blond giant hands had now ended in long spears oddly enough, and aimed them at the giant in the blue uniform, who neatly dodged them before kicking the other in the face. 

Major Hernandez felt a cold chill run through him. When he had heard that there was a second giant now active, he had feet his heart bottomed out, but something else was happening that he hadn't expected.

The giants were...fighting? Against each other? 

"What the hell's going on?" he voiced aloud, eyes wide at the spectacle above. 

But he wasn't allowed to dwell on it longer than he needed when a set of missiles rushed to hit the denominated the BM in the back, making him cry out and giving the other giant an advantage. The giant in the blue uniform clutched the Behemoth's face and literally threw him to the ground hard enough that he saw a plume of dust and dirt plume up before settling. 

Major Hernandez, observing from afar, rose his communicator to his face. "This is Major Carson Hernandez. The giants are engaged in combat with each other. I repeat, the giants are engaged in combat." 

The voice came from Col. Hendrix, whose southern accent was immediately recognized from the com,  _"What? They're fighting each other!? What about the jets?"_

 __"The jets are still firing away at them, but th- _wait!"_

The blond giant and brunet giant were once again up and fighting, with the blond shoving the other back before taking back to the air and towards one of the F-15 jets that had swung out from the side and fired its machine guns at him. The blond giant was hardly phased by the shots, and grabbed it by the wing. The jet's inertia was thrown off, immobilized. The giant seemed to take a split second to peer inside the cockpit before reaching the other hand to crunch it away, throwing out the pilot, who appeared as a dark, barely-visible speck falling from the sky, and letting go of the ruined aircraft. 

But he spent no more time on it as he reached an arm out to his side, a white light appearing out of his palm. 

The other giant had went back to the air and was about to reach the blond giant when the white light blossomed in the sky as a white, ethereal vortex that dominated the dark sky. 

Maybe Major Hernandez's eyes were playing tricks on him, but for a brief moment...for an extremely brief moment, he could have sworn he saw an incredibly devious and wicked smile on the Behemoth's face, wide and menacing. 

And then the blond dipped into the vortex, with the blue giant close behind. 

The other giant disappeared into the vortex a split second later before the white enigma rapidly diminished and vanished from the sky. The remaining jets passed by where it originally had been, flying through the skyline. 

And then all was relatively quiet. 

Shouts of confusion could be heard all around, but Major Hernandez was barely aware of them. They didn't even have time to set up their own attack before both giants had vanished, leaving the preparation dilatory and aimed at nothing. 

Major Hernandez rose the radio to his mouth, eyes still shock and unmoving. 

"This is Major Hernandez speaking. We've lost visual of the giants. I repeat, we lost visual..." 

 _"What do you mean, 'you've lost visual?'"_ came Col. Hendrix's rushed voice. 

"I'm saying that they're gone. Both giants are  _gone!"_

_\-----_

Daniel's leg was restless as he heard the panicked chatter all around him in the building. 

"They're taking over! Oh my God, there are actual aliens and they're taking over the world!" 

A frantic, balding man was yelling out louder than most of the voices. Which wasn't saying much, given how loud everyone was in the Maryland-Pennsylvania hillside border evacuation point.  

"Oh God, this is actually happening! It's actually come! I thought it would happen one day," he shouted like a raving lunatic, gesticulating wildly as he walked to and fro. 

"Man,  _shut up!_ Shut the hell up! We heard you the first time!" another voice, laced with annoyance shouted back. 

"They're not taking over! The military's fighting them!" 

"Are you an idiot? Did you see how big that  _thing_  was!? We don't stand a single, motherfu-" 

 _"Quiet!_  All of you! you're scaring the children!" 

"Who gives a damn!? We're stuck here since these huge-ass monsters are here and taking people off the streets! They're doing all the scaring!" 

"Do you think they'll come here!? Oh God, please no! No no no no  _no!"_

"Everyone, calm down! Listen to the instructions! Don't incite violence!" 

There were several hundred people gathered in his area, steadily increasing as police and state troopers directed traffic and issued orders for people to move to their designated areas. Soldiers monitored the endpoints, keeping watch of the activity around them. Red posts and lights were set up around the acres long area, and another flag was being erected further down. Volunteers were handing out water bottles and aided those who were elderly or physically disabled up the hill and stairs. 

Children and babies were crying, teenagers were talking to each other in high voices, lovers were reassuring each other, travelers arguing and debating... 

Daniel was still trying to focus back on that day the whole time. 

What had happened? 

What had happened all those years ago? 

If he could just remember...anything before he woke up in the hospital. Anything... 

His head hurt, and trying to remember had been extremely taxing, leaving him both mentally and physically tired. He wanted to sit down more than anything, but there were no chairs. 

 _Jonah...where are you?_

"I'm sorry..." he whispered, unheard by the all those around him, "I'm so,  _so_  sorry." 

Suddenly, the ground rumbled and chatter gave way to shrieking. Daniel himself was surprised enough, trying to keep his footing on the ground. 

A huge, white vortex materialized out of the sky, distinctly flat band bright in the vast and dark sky. 

And out flew two enormous beings with strange spacey wings, one chasing the other. 

The soared overhead well above the crowd, who had fallen silent under their shadow before an eruption of screams went out. 

But Daniel didn't even register the cacophony around him. 

There, flying above him, was the blond giant he had seen in the pictures, his eyes radiantly glowing. 

The one responsible who attacked his son's school. 

The one who allegedly took him. 

He, along with the second giant, flew by so fast that a gust swept the ground below, blowing up papers, flags and loose things around. 

The giant blond giant, who was tailed by the other giant, reached his arm out and a second portal reopened roughly several hundred feet away. The two disappeared into it, before it too vanished. 

All that happened in a quick span of three seconds. 

Despite the giants have left the area as quickly as they came, the crowd went up into an uproar, people bum-rushing to get out the area, pushing personnel and volunteers out the way as they stampeded to the cars. He himself was harshly bumped into by a man who was running as fast as his legs could take him. 

The pandemonium seemed little more than a backdrop though, as Daniel found himself filled with indignant rage above all, the overwhelming fear unable to surface. 

The giant responsible for his son's disappearance had been right there and was heading somewhere... 

Somewhere... 

Daniel pushed himself off from the wall he had been leaning against and had ran the opposite direction of the crowd, pushing forward through the wave. 

One of the military soldiers that were trying to regather the crowds noticed him, recognizing him almost immediately from the information he had been given. "Wait, Mr. Michaels! Where are you going?" 

But Daniel ignored him and continued forward. Once he had parted from the panicked masses, he cut through and went to where his car was. He pulled out his keys as he neared his car and threw the door open once he unlocked it. 

He closed the door just as the soldier stopped next to the passenger car door. 

"Wait, you are to remain here! You can't leave the area witho-" 

He turned the car into ignition and stomped on the accelerator. 

The Volkswagen peeled out on the asphalt, and he left the yelling soldier behind. Rolling off road to go around the incoming people and people urging him to stop. He passed by other cars that were driving out, swerving to miss one that bashed off the rear-view mirror of his passenger side, and went back onto the road that led north, the direction the second portal had tapered away from. 

Daniel admittedly wasn't thinking clearly. In fact, so livid was he, he was barely thinking at all. 

The giant responsible for what his son had went through... 

He couldn't let him get away. 

He didn't have a prayer of stopping him, but he needed to know...what happened to Jonah... 

Where did he take him? 

What did he do with him?

He didn't necessarily know what he was doing, or if he was even could do anything. 

But he drove as fast as he could, heading north. 

He drove off on the cleared road, his eyes wide and facing forward. 

Hoping to God that he was going in the right direction.  

It might be his only chance. 

\---- 

The world continued to blur back and forth from the myriad dusk colors of night to a monochrome, luminescent white as Seron chased Terez through portal after portal, each interval closing in on each other as he neared the Siran soldier. Through the portal, all sound was muted as though it was in a vacuum, only to escape as air once reopened. Delayed voices came in as intervals, buoyant and receding, coming through in an spasmodic rhythm. 

"You can't escape, Terez." Seron had said, his voice delayed in the short-distance wormhole, coming out as a muted echo. "I won't allow you to." 

"I'm not trying to escape," came the other soldier's distorted reply, his tone expectant...giddy. 

But Seron had been incrementally closing the distance through each portal, catching up more and more until he could latch onto the blond's back and push him out of the next opening. 

And, with a twist, Seron pushed the giant to the ground. 

Terez skidded across the ground on his back for a moment, with Seron landing right on top of him, pinning him down once more. 

Infuriated, Seron grabbed the other soldier's collar, making him face him. 

He knock him and out and end it once more. 

  
He raised a fist in the air, ready to deliver a powerful blow when he felt his ears ringing. 

There was...screaming. 

Loud, horrible  _screaming._

Seron anger left him as he turned look at the source of the sounds. 

His face paled. 

There were people. Many, many people... 

Humans watching from below watching him with countless eyes, their faces in various expressions of shock, terror and dread. 

Men, women, children who were beginning to run away, leaving their cars or speeding away, or stayed frozen in fear as he looked down at them with equally horrified eyes. 

It was then he realized where he was... 

In the middle of a crowded street, an intersection that Terez's back filled completely. The buildings around him, the lights yellow and white, towered into the sky, people watching from their windows to look down at the sudden appearance of the two giants. His eyes made contact with a frightened young girl, wearing a pink nightgown who hugged a teddy bear to her chest. She looked out her window, her brown hair tussled around her head. Her brown eyes equally as scared as his. 

Despite physically being incapable of experiencing disease, Seron felt incredibly ill. 

A dark chuckle came from below him, and he looked down to see Terez, his eyes beheld a look of triumph as a demonic grin spread across his face. 

"Like I said..." he laughed lowly, before lifting his own arm. "You're way too  _soft!"_

And with that, Terez threw the first punch. 

\---- 

"Seron and Terez have changed locations." 

 _"Where?"_

"I'm now trying to pick them up. They are currently in constant transit. I cannot get a clear read until they have stopped." 

Commander Regis continued to look at the screen, watching as the blue dots seems to glitch in and out around the East coast map. Derivo, his arm patched up underneath his uniform, sat at the closest monitor and was closely watching the two specks phase in and out around the map, particularly in the state of Pennsylvania. 

His eyes darted uneasily as he watched them disappear and reappear, the coordinates continually changing again and again. 

But then, both specks reappeared once and stayed, no longer in constant fluctuation. 

"What are their coordinates?" Regis asked, his deep voice penetrating through the humming machinery around. 

Derivo swallowed, "Their current coordinates are 39°57′08″ N, 75°09′49″ W. I'm pulling up a visual now." 

A half second later, a second holographic screen appeared, and both Derivo and Commander Regis saw them, and everything and everyone around them. 

The commander's face darkened. 

\----- 

_"Major Hernandez! The giant has reappeared! Head en route immediately! I repeat, head en route immediately."_

Carson ripped the radio from his side and rose it to his face. "Wait! Where are the giants? Where are they right here and now?"

Colonel Hendrix's voice came in, his tone low and grim as he spoke. Major Hernandez felt a terrible cold overcome him when he heard his commanding officer speak. 

 _"This just in: both giants are now in a major, populated city._ _They are in the metropolitan area of Philadelphia."_


	18. Chapter 14 Part 1: Contact

When she began to come to, the first thing she noticed was that her back ached  _horribly._  
  
Her shoulder blades throbbed with agony, and her upper felt bruised and very sore. Pain seared through it with the simple act of breathing, and her breath kept hitching with each small movement she made.   
  
She hissed as she slowly turned onto her stomach, hoping to relieve the pressure on her back and be able to get up.   
  
In fact, she realized, her entire body was in pain, sore, and heavy and bereft of any strength.   
  
Her legs felt like lead, her lungs felt hurt and there was a thudding, drumming pain on the right side of her head. Her throat felt dry and sore and swallowing barely quelled it.   
  
Worse still, she heard hushed voices...whispers, crying...  
  
Her eyes fluttered open for only a bit, struggling to adapt. She stilled her closed eyes again, hoping for the pain in her body to all to go away.   
  
Without warning, someone started slapping at her cheeks.   
  
"C'mon, c'mon,  _c'mon_...get up! Get up!  _Get up!_  They're going to be coming over here any minute! You have to  _get up!"_  she heard a hushed, yet frantic and urgent feminine voice say above her. She winced as the hand continued to hit at her face with more fervor, a jingle of metal heard with each tap.   
  
"Shake her awake!  _Hurry!"_  came an accented, masculine voice, and a thump to her side. "One of them could be heading back here any minute!"   
  
Diana's eyes began to blink open, her vision blurred and bleary.   
  
The figure in front of her, backed away slightly. "She's getting up! Okay, okay. Open your eyes...just like that. C'mon..."   
  
Diana's eyes began to open, her eye lids feeling strangely hot, and the figures in front and to her side slowly coalesced.   
  
Around her, she saw a woman and a man, bent down on their knees and looking down at her with wide, pleading eyes that observed her lifting face.   
  
The woman in front of her, who was leaning over her, looked to be in her late twenties, with bright green eyes, a small scattering of freckles around her nose that contrasted against her pale skin, and wavy ginger-brown hair that cascaded down her back.  She was dressed in a white and black, striped blouse and black pencil skirt, flats and stockings which would have looked sharp and dressy had her attire not been so muddied and torn.  
  
The man who was kneeling by her side, in contrast to the woman in front of him, looked to be around Diana's age, maybe a couple years older. Unlike the woman's Caucasoid features, he looked like he was of Persian descent, with a dusky skin-complexion slightly darker than her own. He had black hair in the form of a short, neatly trimmed beard, mustache, and a small ponytail and light brown eyes. His clothes, a dark red jacket over a black T-shirt that had vertically-written white Latin words on the left side, dark green cargo pants and white sneakers, while scuffed, were conspicuously less damaged.   
  
Both of them shared a look of slight relief before returning back to their panicked features. Diana, still in a bit of a daze, slowly leaned up, wincing through the spasms of pain that traveled up her back. She raised one hand to fix her glasses and rapidly blinked.   
  
It was until she looked around when everything began to seep in.   
  
There were dozens upon dozens of people all around her, all of them confused, frightened, and worse for wear in some way, shape or form. Probably over a hundred people from what she could make out in her grounded position. Some of them looked as though had just been awakened themselves.  There were people sobbing and crying, others walking about in place anxiously, many whispering to each other, and several huddled into a fetal position, rocking back and forth in wide-eyed terror. An oppressive atmosphere that was all around, made worse by the lack of any sunlight as the moon and stars provided most of the light inside of...   
  
"Where are we!?" Diana asked, her voice slightly raspy. Her eyes darted around to see that while the sky was in full view, they were surrounded by high walls easily fifty feet high, bordering them all into some enclosure she had no recollection ever entering in.   
  
The woman in front of her swallowed before answering her, "I don't know. Nobody does. When me and Ramin woke up, we saw those giant guys look at us and then they went somewhere else an-oh, oh my God, are you  _hurt?_ You have glass in your arm! _"_    
  
The bespectacled girl immediately brought her arm into view and winced. Just as she said, there were small shards of broken glass around her just below her elbow and a little bit in her hand.   
  
She reached in and, with a hiss, drew one piece out, blood sprouting up in the wound.   
  
She felt fear gnaw at her insides at the sight. More than ever, the teen hoped she was dreaming.   
  
"Let me see it," the woman said as she grabbed her wrist and elbow. "Okay...it's not too bad. They're small pieces but can easily be taken out. Nothing too major. Just...don't move your arm, I'll take them out."   
  
"This is just so  _insane,_ " Ramin muttered, balling his hands into the back of his head, "Like, this is all just so damn  _nuts!"_  
  
Diana's lower lip was trembling. There was nothing else she could say to add to that.   
  
She gritted her teeth as the redheaded woman started to pull out the shards from her hand and wrist. "Th-They're so much of us here...just where the hell did they take us?"   
  
Ramin let out a jittery, anguished sigh. "Hell if I know. Maeve and I were just on our way to a concert when they got on the highway and grabbed us up. Next thing we know, we're in this orange ball with a whole bunch of people and taken up to that white thing and when we woke up, we were here."   
  
"They stopped by several minutes ago," the woman, who had to have been Maeve, told her as she carefully pulled the glass from her arm. "They looked in and left. I...I think they're more people like us here. I mean, there have to be...they got so many people and...I...I honestly don't know."   
  
"You think...you think they'll experiment on us?" Ramin gulped, clearly wrought with dread and terror. "Like, that's why they have so many of us? Like damn lab mice?   
  
"i...I hope not. I mean...maybe they might not, I mean...I just..." Maeve shook her head and refocused on Diana's trembling arm, "Let me just focus on getting the glass out of this girl's arm and...by the way, what's your name sweetie?"   
  
"D-Diana," the teen answered, clearly shaken from the possibilities of what lay in store, "You c-can just call me Dee if you want. And you're Maeve and Ramin, right?"   
  
"Yeah, that's right. Nice to meet you," Maeve said with an artificial smile, "Wish it were under better circumstances."   
  
"Likewise," Diana said, trying desperately to get her mind off of what might be her demise, "So...um, a-are you l-like...a doctor or something?"   
  
Maeve gave a single nod. "Kind of. I'm an intern at the moment. Want to be a pediatrician. Got off of work and Ramin, me and a bunch of people were going to head on down to see a concert when...y'know."   
  
"Oh, um okay...nice to know that an actual doctor is helping me out," Diana said with a tiny sliver of relief. She turned her head towards Ramin, "Are you a doctor too?"   
  
"No, actually I'm still in school," he said, slumping down a bit, his foot restlessly tapping on the hard, metallic floor. "Studying environmental science right now for my master's in the States. I was supposed to be finished two months from now."   
  
"That's really cool too. I mean, I have a bunch of friends who are studying environmental science now, and they said it's a pretty hard major."   
  
Ramin tilted his head with semi-feigned interest, "Are you a student too? College? High school?" It was obvious that he just wanted to get his mind off their dismal situation, even if it was through small talk.   
  
"College, but I'm undergrad. I'm studying engineering, but minoring in art."   
  
"Well, that's interesting," Ramin said, "those are two completely different things to go into."   
  
Diana let out a dry laugh, "Yeah, my interest is actually in art but my parents said it's too difficult to get a job in it. My dad's studied engineering in college so I just picked it at random."   
  
"Okay, smart move. Um, excuse me for asking but...where are you from?"   
  
"My family's originally from Delaware, then we moved to Pennsylvania and then to Florida. I- _ow!"_  
  
"Sorry," Maeve said, apologizing mid-pulling.   
  
"It's okay. I was heading home after a giant attacked the college nearby."   
  
Oh God, her  _mother._ Her phone had broke at some point and was now gone. How would she be able to reach her? To let her know she was alive? At least for the time being...  
  
Maeve's eyes went wide, but she didn't look up. "Are you talking about  _Corona?_  You're a student there!?"   
  
Diana shook her head, "No...my boyfriend was and...uh," she sucked in her breath, "Um, well...where are you guys from?"   
  
"I'm from South Carolina. Well, actually that's where I live now. Originally from Maine, then moved down since I hated the winter."   
  
"You can probably tell from my accent I'm not originally from the US," Ramin said, "I'm from Qatar. I just came to the States for college. Nothing real big."   
  
"You guys said there were more people that were heading to the same concert. Are they...here?" Diana asked, watching as Maeve now worked getting the glass out of her palm.  
  
"I don't know," Ramin answered hollowly, "I mean, they weren't too far from us on the road and when those giants started moving, we got separated. We haven't seen them when we were searching, and the giants came by once to check up."   
  
"Um, not that I'm not grateful or anything. Actually, let me thank you guys beforehand but...why did you help me?"   
  
"When they came by, we got scared so we thought, since we were close to you when we were getting up, we have to get you up. Just to be safe." Maeve answered as she pulled the last shard out of her hand and did a quick once over before letting the girl's arm go. "There, you should be okay. Nothing but surface cuts it seems so...you can relax."   
  
"I don't think that's possible," Diana said honestly, feeling her eyes glistening. Keeping the tears at bay, she took in a shaky breath. "Thanks for getting the glass out of my arm. I appreciate it. I really do. Um, could you check my back too?"   
  
Maeve's mouth opened in sympathy. "You're back hurts too?"   
  
She nodded, carefully and slowly lifting an arm to rub her shoulder blades. "On the highway, I got bumped into a couple cars and the ground. It really hurts."   
  
"Take off your jacket and turn around," Maeve said to her, and she obeyed. Ramin politely looked away as the redheaded woman pulled the teen's collar back to look at her back.   
  
Diana took a sharp intake of air as she felt the other woman's hand gently press against several areas in her back. The hand moved about her shoulder blades, her spine and lower back before it withdrew completely before the shirt returned to it's normal place.   
  
"Your back's a bit red, but there's no blood. I don't think anything's broken either. You have a bump but that's about it. In time, everything should be fine."   
  
In time...? Just what time and how much? Why were they here in the first place?   
  
Another voice came in from her right, "Hey, you said you're a doctor?"   
  
Diana, Ramin and Maeve all looked to their left to see a stoutly, middle-aged balding man dressed in a pair of tan slacks and a dark blue T-shirt, and dirtied black loafers with a much shorter, much younger boy who looked to be in middle-school at most, make their way towards them. the man gave them a friendlier look in order to assuage their apprehension. There was something up with the man's arm, as he held it with his other arm. With a sour realization, Diana saw that it was dislocated.   
  
Maeve swallowed and stood to her feet. It was then that she realized, even from below, how absolutely statuesque the woman was. "Yeah, that's right."   
  
"Sorry for listening into your conversation but can you help me? I tried to prop my arm back into place but I kinda messed up. Can you do something?"   
  
"Sure, just let go and let me grab hold, okay?"   
  
Diana and Ramin watched Maeve grab hold of the newcomer's arm as the boy turned away.   
  
And, without a countdown, she pushed his arm up and back into place with a pop. The man made an shocked expression, before exhaling.   
  
"Thanks," he said to the intern with a wheeze, who responded with a gentle smile. The woman's green eyes laid on the boy, who had turned back now that the deed was done. With curly dark brown hair, hazel yellow-brown eyes, a blue hoodie under a white jacket and navy blue jeans, and simple sneakers, he probably had to be around thirteen years old at the very most.  
  
"Oh, hello. Are you his grandson?" she asked with a smile.   
  
The boy, who had been anxiously rubbing a hand up his arm, made a face of disgust before sucking his teeth. "No."   
  
Caught off-guard by the flat, rude response, the redhead turned her head to the older man who smiled apologetically. "This is one of my charges. He's a juvie. We had just been coming back from community service."   
  
"Oh."   
  
"I'm Antonio Hallmeck. And this guy is Memphis Lee."   
  
"Nice to meet you both," Maeve said and she turned to the two people behind her, "I'm Maeve, and they're Ramin and Diana. But we just met Diana just now so...sorry for introducing you guys without letting you talk."   
  
"No problem, right now I think we-"   
  
There was a low thrum that cut everyone off. There was a collective gasp and everyone seemed to cry out and panic as the ground began to shake almost rhythmically. Diana, amidst the pain in her back, stood up as she watched others who had been sitting or laying down get to their feet. Memories of the giants grabbing everyone on the highway flooded her mind and her heart was seized with panic. A cold chill ran down her spine and she felt herself trembling.   
  
The earthquake, no doubt a giant's footsteps, grew in intensity until one of them appeared from the side of the room, his upper body looming over the entire enclosure and blocking off the moonlight. It was one of the giants she had seen from before, the one with dark blue hair and the neon yellow eyes. He was just as terrifying and menacing as she remembered. Everyone who wasn't frozen in fear ran towards the furthest end of the enclosure to get as far away from the giant as humanly possible. She was bunched in between the new people she had met and was nearly suffocating from being pressed against so many people and her own terror. From far above, his unnaturally bright colored eyes took in the sight of the towering humans, who cringed under their gaze. Diana felt her skin crawling as he looked in her general direction.  
  
He looked over the terrified humans impassively, scanning and scrutinizing them for what seemed like ages despite it being only a few seconds.   
  
"Alright," he boomed ominously, his voice reverberating around the large enclosure and making the screams and shouts immediately desist. "You're the last group. I will let you all out, and you are do as I say once you're out. If any of you try to run, hide, or stay inside, I will kill you."   
  
There was no doubt in her mind that the giant wouldn't make good on his threat.  
  
There was a sound of something unlocking, and the lower half of the wall on the right came up.  The giant's face focused on them, gleaming, "You have until the count of five to start moving. One..."   
  
That was all that needed to be said before everyone, Diana included, made a beeline for the opening of the enclosure. A large mob rushing out at once, almost pushing each other out as they frantically made it outside the tall, metal enclosure.   
  
When Diana was out, she stopped at a tree where she saw Ramin and Maeve, and two newcomers, Antonio and Memphis, had gathered to catch their breaths. She herself breathed in and out, a sharp pain shooting up from her chest when she took long breaths that were too deep, making her breathing labored. The air was pretty warm, almost humid, making her feel even more uncomfortable.   
  
Once she had recollected herself, she was shocked to find herself in the parking lot of a white building, the  _only_  building it seemed that she saw that was around. There were also five large, metallic spheres set next to each other, reflecting off the moonlight.  
  
But what caught her attention the most was the sight of a  _second_ giant, a giant with vermilion eyes and dark hair who sat next to the building, eyes looking at the humans pouring out of the enclosure she'd previously been in, some seeing the other giant and screaming.   
  
"Ugh, everytime, no matter which group, they all always keep on screaming."  He grumbled, his deep voice echoing all around. With a sigh, he got to his feet, towering over the building and the humans below as he stood to his full, gigantic height. "Welp, before we begin the last sorting, let me give you guys a quick, easy order for you to follow:  _shut up_."   
  
The screams died out just as quickly as they had begun, turning into a small cluster of whimpers and frightened sobs. Diana could only crane her neck up in horror as the giant came closer to the frightened group of humans. She craned her head up, watching him close the distance and desperately fought the urge to flee as he approached with earthquaking steps. The blue-haired giant's threat of being killed if she ran echoed in her mind, which had been enough to keep her rooted in place.   
  
A handful of people  _did_ run however, running down the sold street as they tried to get away from the two giants.   
  
The giant with blue hair simply pulled out some sort of gun and aimed it at the seven strayers who saw them and tried to run faster, their howls rising even higher.    
  
He fired, a ray shooting from the barrel, and their bodies were carbonized in nanoseconds.   
  
Muffled and un-muffled screams, shouts and surprised gasps began to sound from everyone, completely shocked to see several people killed right there in less than a second. Diana cupped her mouth as she saw the individual piles of ashes in mind-numbing terror.   
  
Maeve and Ramin shared the same look of fright as she did, eyes transfixed on the dark piles on the road. Antonio looked away, his mouth teeth gritted together as Memphis's youthful face visibly paled, his face frozen in shock and unbelief.  
  
Oh God, this was happening. They really were going to kill everyone!   
  
The giant with orange-red eyes tutted, "Ah, ah,  _ah..._ remember what I told you all."   
  
With that display of complete ruthlessness, it seemed that nearly everyone had enough wits to silence themselves to the best of their ability, with the loudest sounds now reduced to sobs and murmured mantras.   
  
The weight of her situation was overbearing. She could barely even find the strength inside her to move. It was a miracle she was still able to remain standing on her own two wobbly feet.   
  
The vermillion-eyed giant looked at the group, evidently expecting someone to defy his order but after several horrible seconds of his eyes remaining on them, he smirked and looked at the other giant, who put his gun away.   
  
"See, Kril?" he said, sounding amused, "I told you, it only takes a little bit to flush out the lesser ones. I'm a bit disappointed though. This group only had seven of them. Bet you there's more. The last one had twenty-four."   
  
"Either way, the quota's still met, right? That's what happens when you get excess." the blue-haired giant responded, crossing his arms.   
  
"Still, at least it's a good number. Better to have more than less. Right?"   
  
There was a sick feeling welling in Diana's gut at watching the giant's have what sounded like a casual conversation high above their heads. How little did they think of them that they could talk about murdering several people like that?   
  
The second giant knelt down, his knee hitting the ground causing a shockwave from the simple action, and re-commanded their attention. "Listen, I've been pretty long-winded today, and have been telling each group basically the same thing so many time that it just sounds rehashed and hackneyed at this point. So I'll just get to the point. M'name's Vexer. You all now belong to the Siras Colony and yes, you're basically our slaves, more or less. Listen to us and you'll live. Defy us, and you'll die. As simple as that. We'll separate you into groups of men and women, assess you and deal with you from there. Any objections?"   
  
Everyone wisely remained silent.   
  
The giant's grin grew. "Perfect. Now then..."   
  
He reached to his side and tapped at the top of each sphere. A soft beep sounded and they hummed as they split apart horizontally, the top halves of each sphere hovering in mid-air above the lower halves before a jet of lights of an assortment of colors beamed down.   
  
"Men to the left, women to the right. Get moving."   
  
Once the words left his mouth, everyone started to make their way to the appointed sides, as instructed. Diana, along with Maeve whose steps carried her faster than her own, made their way towards the right side of women, the circle of women growing larger just like the men's circle did on the left.   
  
It only took a few seconds before the sides were aligned, and Vexer looked impressed.   
  
"Excellent, you guys are making record time. Easily the fastest ones yet. Guess we'll have no problem with you guys after all. Now, two lines of men and two lines of women. Get to it."   
  
They followed immediately, reorganizing themselves into two lines. There was a commotion around the front, with several people trying to keep from being in the very front, but one look from the giant locked them into place. It was only a matter of seconds when four lines had been assembled, with Maeve standing in front of Diana and a girl whispering the Lord's Prayer right behind her.   
  
A beeping sound startled her and countless others, and several heads turned to the giant with blue hair, who raised a hand to his ear. He drew his hair back and pressed at something she couldn't see, and looked on, as if he was listening to something. After a few nerve-wracking seconds, he lowered his hand and spoke to the second giant, "Hey Vex, you're not going to like this."   
  
The kneeling giant turned his head to look at his partner, "What is it?"  
  
"Good news is that Terez is awake. Bad news is that he and that homemade Viran guy are fighting...guess where?"   
  
Vexer raised and eyebrow before raising his own wrist to his eyes. He pressed something on the bottom and a light she couldn't make out materialized in a light blue phantasm she couldn't make out from her position.   
  
What she could make out; however, were his next words: "Well...the top is not going to like that."  


 

\-----   
_**  
**_

 

_**"City's breaking down on a camel's back.  
** **They just have to go 'cause they don't know whack..."** _

With music playing through his ear pieces, Wyatt Lang idly tapped his finger on the desk to the beat as he analyzed the last few digital documents, checking for any transaction errors. He barely stifled a yawn as his eyes tiredly remained on the bright computer screen, the words reflecting on his bifocals. 

_**"So while you fill the streets, it's appealing to see.  
You won't get undercounted 'cause you're damned and free..."** _

He, like the near two dozen of his coworkers inhabiting the same floor as him, had been spending an inordinately long time in the bland, monochromatic office ever since the retail company he worked for had entered a merger, and he lost count just how many times he'd stay after to make sure everything was in order. And while he would still get overtime pay, which thankfully helped him save enough for the down payment for that new apartment he'd been eyeing, he loathed spending his precious weekend cooped up in the office, especially this late into the day when he'd usually be out at the bar with a couple of buddies, downing whisky and rum until he'd be seeing the world through his drunken, kaleidoscopic vision. 

Unfortunately, he still had a couple months to go for it all to be finalized and approved. 

**"You got a new horizon, it's ephemeral style.  
A melancholy town where we never smile.   
And all I wanna hear is the message beep..."**

He was hungry and bored, and once the clock hit 7:00 PM, he'd be out of there. Probably order some fries and pizza from Italian restaurant and watch a get a movie from one of the redboxes nearby. Until then, he continued to look at the the documents, tapping his feet to the beat in his ears.   
  
**"My dreams, they got her kissing,  
'cause I don't get sleep, no..."**

As the music flowed into his ears, he began to sing along, to distract himself from the monotony of looking at the pages on the screen for just a bit. 

_"Windmill windmill for the land,"_ he began, glancing at the clock to see that he still had over half an hour to go,  _"Turn forever hand-in-hand._ _Take it all in on your stride._ _It is ticking, falling down..."_

He paused when he suddenly felt the ground underneath him seem to thrum. He tore his head from the computer screen to look down at the carpeted tiled floor, blinking as he felt another thrum, stronger than the last shoot up. 

_**"Love forever, love is free.  
Let's turn forever you and me..." ** _

****Now he was sure the building was shaking, all the items on his desk, from his pencil holder to the array of autographed pictures, on his desk vibrating, the lights flickered and the panels around his cubicle swayed. Past the music in his ear, he could hear surprised cries and shouts of alarm. Hunger forgotten, he jumped to his feet and ripped one of the earpieces out of his ear, listening to the distressed and confused sounds around him, a distant booming sound accompanied with the erratic quaking.

**"Windmill, windmill for the land..."**

A shadow spread through the office, and for a split second, he saw something large and moving in the reflection of his computer screen from the an uncovered window. 

**"Is ev-"**

He turned around just in time for him, and the near entirety of the office, to be blasted backwards by a powerful force that crashed into the rear wall. The glass windows shattered and hailed down, bricks flew away as if blown by dynamite, parts of the floor slew off and all the lights blew out, sparks raining down and out.

Wyatt, his glasses cracked and blood trailing down the side of his head, was thrown into one of the potted plants, which lay broken and spread across the floor along with chunks of glass and rubble of the wall and ceiling, and covered his face, eyes wide in shock. With his heart hammering in his chest, he slowly parted his hands away when the building stilled and peeked through the shroud of dust. Other stunned office workers, who survived the impact, were also looking the same direction, before several of them screamed and wailed, fleeing to the emergency exit's staircase. 

The back of an enormous, human-shaped head and shoulders took up a huge portion of the blown wall and floor that were continuing to sheer away. He took in a choking gasp as he hastily scrambled to his feet and ran towards the staircase. 

Seron had been sent flying backwards and had slammed against a commercial building, taking out the walls for several floors and its power. He slid down, his back scraping off more of the building, and landed in the sidewalk and street in a crumpled heap, churning up dust that engulfed most of the city block. He grunted a bit as he leaned forward, the pervasive screams rising in crescendo as countless humans took off running and scrambling away from him, crowds of people filling the streets and cars driving with reckless abandon. 

And he was the cause of it all. 

He grimaced. 

For the three centuries he'd been operational, he never felt so monstrous in his entire life. 

The communicator on his wrist buzzed to life,  _"This is the base to Seron. Base to Seron. Seron, please respond. What's happening?"_

Derivo's voice was slightly muffled by the surrounding sounds of distress, but he heard him perfectly. "Seron here," he responded, his voice strained and low, "Terez has brought us to a city. I don't know where. I'll try to get us out of here." 

_"Don't try, do it. Take whatever measures you need to."_

_Easier said than done._

The communicator cut off abruptly, and Seron looked up as the shroud of dust around him began to slowly disperse.

Several blocks away, Terez trudged down the street, heedless of the pandemonium below as he made his way towards him, a wide, baleful grin plastered across his face. 

"What's wrong?" The blond asked derisively, his voice heard above the wide spread panic and resounding car alarms, "Aren't you going to fight back? Or are you just going to let me trounce you for all to see?" 

Rarely did Seron get angry enough to resort to name-calling, but he was absolutely disgusted and sickened, "You... _coward."_

Terez didn't even bother with a response as he continued to move forward, vehicles, some and parts of the road crunched underfoot. Through the windows, many frightened onlookers watched in dread as the blond's gigantic, menacing form passed by the streets, casted in a quickly receding shadow. The lower windows of the surrounding buildings quaked with each massive, callous step, buildings creaking and swaying as people poured out of them towards potential safety. Several street and traffic lights dislodged from their foundations as he closed the gap.

Seron slowly peeled away from the heavily damaged building, which most of what remained of it miraculously remained standing, carefully checking around him to not accidentally hurt any fleeing humans nearby. 

He was lead right into the absolute worst case scenario.

He knew that Terez was absolutely reprehensible but to bait him into chasing him into a populated area like  _this?_ How idiotic and blind had he been to be so easily fooled into falling right into his trap? 

He should have killed him. He really should have killed him. 

Seron steadily began to rise to his feet, but Terez rushed him before he had fully straightened up. He gagged when he was kneed in his solar plexus, literally lifted off his feet and into the air, before being clubbed in the head with Terez's clasped hands and straight into the street, creating a huge crater on impact. 

For a fraction of a second, his vision was filled with spectacular colors, his eyes gone white from the hit. The brunet's shuddered a bit, wincing as he looked up to see Terez lift a leg to high up above his head in an arch. Quickly realizing what was about to happen, he tilted his head just in time to avoid the powerful heel stomp kick and grabbed hold of his leg and pulled himself up with lightning speed, uppercutting the taller giant under the chin. 

Terez managed to take a couple wobbly steps back as Seron, his vision still adjusting back into focus, grabbed one of his arms, twisted it to an unnatural angle, with the blond crying out in agony, and jammed his elbow into his chest. 

The other soldier stumbled backwards, bumping off a hotel sign's letters, which began sparking before dimming out, dangling by several wires. But, if Seron willed it, that would be the last damage to be done to the city as he immediately grew his wings back and grabbed hold of the blond's head and, with an incredible display of his supernatural strength, threw him high into the air, well above the heights of any skyscrapers around him. As his enemy hurtled upwards, he took to the air after him. 

Terez spiraled in the air, and before he could even right himself, Seron rushed him and jabbed him several times in the face before grabbing it again and rocketing him higher. 

Now a safe distance in the air, with his free hand, Seron focused on teleporting back to the Ultron Silver battlecruiser, the bracelet already calculating the ship's coordinates in nanoseconds. Despite the security risk, it was far better to have Terez on the ship and handle him from there. Far better than putting the smaller, innocent aliens of this planet in mortal danger. If there was a chance that those in the ship were watching, they were probably preparing a proper confinement chamber for the nanomachine-enhanced, genetically-altered soldier that would hopefully block his signal an- 

Seron was suddenly yanked back by the arm as the taller giant brought up a spear that formed form his right arm and aimed for his shoulder. 

The Viran soldier twisted back just in time for it to miss, only for it to clip his own dual device on his wrist, which, despite being more capable, was far less durable than the other soldier's and was dented, causing the light to die out of Seron's wrist and palm. 

Seron eyes widened in shock, giving a window for Terez to swing around and roundhouse kick him with the force to send him hurdling straight down into the city like a meteor. He went through the higher floors of three skyscrapers before crashing and demolishing a parking garage underneath him. 

Seron laid there for all of two seconds before pushing himself up from the debris and rubble, glancing to the dual device to see the light that indicated it operational was out. 

_No..._

He didn't get the chance to even attempt to further inspect it when Terez had swung down to grab him by his neck. 

Terez continued to fly through the buildings, his wings going through several of them and sheering off entire floors, with the higher sliding to the ground and collapsing as he dragged Seron across one of the vast main streets. People desperately jumped to the sidewalks or dipped into alleyways as he skidded across the the ground at an angle. He tried to stop himself, digging his heels into the ground but the asphalt peeled and came up like dried mud, leaving trenches behind. 

He suddenly found himself twisted around, thrown across several city blocks and sent straight into the base floor of a thirty-story high rise building, making the whole thing teeter before leaning into another building that was slightly larger. 

The people who were still inside found themselves suddenly thrown one side of the building before it began to tilt at an absurd angle, with furniture, electronics, and several unlucky tenants unable to grab purchase of anything stable sliding to one side and breaking out through the windows to rapidly fall to the ground, their screams loud enough to be heard from a distance. 

Seron, who heard the screams, suddenly broke out of his short-lived daze and pulled himself from the ruined base. He shot one hand up, managing to catch a few of the falling humans, while the other he used to carefully push the building back into place, watching as even more people pooled out of the bottom floors and out. 

Just as he lowered his hand to drop off its passengers on the balcony of a third building, he was bulldozed right out once more into another building. The high rise lost its support and fell completely, gauging out the side of the larger building which caused it it topple on the other, bringing both down in a hail of debris and dust. 

Terez held Seron up by his throat and slammed him into a corporate tower, pinning him against the ruined building face and suspending him off his feet. "You sure are considerate for a being who was made from scratch. That's admirable, you know. But, that doesn't work out in the long run now, does it?" 

"Damn...you..." Seron managed to choke out, only to be pressed more into the building wall, more glass raining down and the cries of those inside almost right in his ear. 

Watching the other soldier try to pry him arm off him, Terez went on, "Say...just how long do you think it'd take for me to kill you and find Arum after this? Not too long I bet. I think I have a pretty good idea where you're hiding him now. After all, it's obvious you guys have been hovering around this mudball of a planet for a while now, right? I mean, here we are, just getting here and you guys have been just sitting around, looking for the Key from space...that's pretty ineffective now, isn't it? Well, I guess that what happens when you're basically a bunch of on-call slaves to those damn bureaucratic lesser beings...can't do much without their saying so...tied down like a bunch of d- _oof!"_

Terez doubled back as Seron kicked him off him, making the blond fall on his back to flatten a bunch of planted trees and outdoor canopies. Seron landed back on his feet and swiped him back up by the collar in one hand. He willed his left hand to take the form of a sword-like appendage and drove it into his side. The blond coughed up blood, his body going into spasms with the sword in his side. 

Despite cleaving through where the Siran soldier's vital organs had to be, he had been augmented enough that the stab was far from lethal. But no doubt, he had to be in intense agony. 

Seron yanked out the sword, the particles already dispersing and changing back into his hand, with several metallic particles revolving around his fist. He really should have done this from the very beginning. 

"...B...astard..." Terez wheezed, his side already glowing as the nanomachines went to work to heal his wound. 

Seron merely gave him a cold look as the particles around his fist came around and encased it in dark metal. Without a word, he grabbed the blond up from the ground and pummeled him his one arm, hitting him so quickly that his arm was moving in a dark blue blur. 

By the time he finished, Terez looked like he was unconscious again, his arms sagged to his sides and the sounds that came out of him in drawls.  

His hand changed back into normal and he checked his dual device once more, hoping that either the communicator or teleporter was operational. To his dismay, both were inoperable and his frowned. He'd have to fly back to it, going into space. A long trip no doubt but not his first time doing so. 

Still...he hated leaving knowing just how much damage he and his adversary had caused... 

If only he had been more attentive, been more careful...

He was about to turn his head to look at the collateral damage when he heard Terez groan. 

Right before he was hit by a devastating headbutt. 

Seron involuntarily let go of Terez's collar and was blown back into the building face, leaving him embedded in the lower floors at an odd angle. 

Terez was getting back up, wiping the blood off his face with the back of his hand and the nanomachines finished their work, leaving him completely healed and livid. His eyes were glowing, and he was bearing an angry smile as he stepped forward, grabbed the brunet by his uniform jacket and shot him right up through the building like a ball launched up in a high striker. 

The Viran soldier was back out in the air, spiraling over himself when Terez came up and tried to kick him in the side of his head. While he drew his arm up to block it in time, the strength of the kick launched him across the sky, making him knick a side of one building and sending him landing heavily into a cluster of smaller buildings situated eastward. 

By now, several police cars and ambulances had been dispatched with countless barricades and evacuation paths made for the panicking people below to travel. Red and blue lights from below were at every corner of the street, with loud sirens issued at every point and turn. Countless people either took to the subway underground or ran through the streets that had been barely cleared enough for people to go through. Narrower streets had stampedes, with several people trampled underfoot by the surge of runners. Paramedics had gathered up either the critically injured or covered the dead as the living continued to flee in herds to any place that had a semblance of safety.  Emergency broadcasts and news reports to orderly escape were drown out by the screaming and wailing all around. 

Seron managed to stabilize himself when he landed in a park. Even he was finding himself getting tired, catching his breath as he searched around him for Terez, or for any humans nearby, hoping there weren't any. 

There actually was one person, a elderly homeless man, crouched underneath a bench and hiding from him to his right. He was obviously shaken, covering his head with his hands and looking up at the him with terrified eyes. 

A brief stint of compassion filled him, and he would have reached towards him had Terez not suddenly bumrushed him from above, knocking him back on the ground. 

With his eyes emitting a solar-like glow, Terez's arms formed two spears, which he aimed straight for the other soldier's head. With incredible speed, Seron turned his head away for them to strike the chipped ground, and grabbed the other soldier by the ribs, crushing his hand into them and pushing in. 

Terez gasped and howled in pain, before Seron lifted him up with one arm and bashed him upside down into the playground, headfirst. 

Seron looked back down to the shocked homeless man, who appeared unharmed. He decided to lift the other soldier, who was coughing horrifically, and take flight. 

He was up in the air, with the other soldier in one hand and was about to toss him at an higher altitude when he was suddenly blinded by a bright light. 

_"Argh!"_ he yelled, as one of the police klieg lights shone directly in his face, making him cover his eyes with his free arm. 

Which had proven to be exactly what Terez needed for him to reach over and swing Seron right under him, before bashing him across his back right back down into heart of the city. 

Seron's landing devastated a large chunk of a shopping mall, the dome ceiling gradually collapsing inward as glass and cemented supports fell onto the marble tiles and several escapees who had taken refuge inside. 

The Viran soldier got up, the unease he felt before still grasping at his heart.

While both of them were far from the tallest things in the city, with skyscrapers easily over twice to over half a dozen times their size or more, they could still be seen from several city blocks away. As vast as the city was, with the buildings bordering them, the space seemed narrow and cramped. There was barely any room for maneuverability or correction, with buildings and people everywhere he'd move.   

Seron slowly got to his feet once more, a bit more sluggard than he had before. No matter what he did, there would be no way he could attack without causing some sort of damage to the city or without putting the people below in danger, and it greatly irked and bothered him that every attempt to avoid doing so failed miserably. 

Terez hadn't come down yet, obviously still healing the chest wounds inflicted upon him, but there was no doubt he'd be coming back down once he was back in order. 

Just as he was going to fly back up to attack him before he could fully heal, several police cars swung around the corner and faced him at the end of the street. Several officers who were armed with high powered rifles and guns got out and aimed towards him, an innumerable amount of red dots going across his body like feelers. 

"Wait," was all he could manage to say when they unloaded on him, showering him with bullets that didn't so much as leave a mark. 

Seron only looked at them for a moment, knowing their shots could do nothing to harm him and that it was useless to try to talk to them otherwise, and focused back on the still regenerating Terez. He flew back up in the air and turned himself upside down to deliver a high kick straight into the blond's chin. 

As the blond flew higher, an idea appeared in his head and he jetted towards him. Still dizzy from the kick, Terez wasn't able to stop himself in the air until Seron grabbed one of his wrists, pulling him over. 

Just as he expected, the blond's dual device was functioning and was also structured with manual options. He only hoped that it didn't have a bio-reader like his did, or else it wouldn't work at all. 

He managed to put the first number of the Viras Delta's location in when he was shoved away, a backhand breaking him off the larger soldier's wrist and sending him several hundred feet away. 

"Hands off," the other soldier growled before he dipped down and launched himself at the smaller one. Seron dodged just in time and brought his elbow down on his head. 

Then, in a flurry of rapid motions, he materialized his hands into a metal casing and was about to punch at Terez's face once more when the blond suddenly flew down and back into the city, tapering off when he reached the bottom of one skyscraper. 

Seron went down after him, changing his hands back and closing in on him. 

And stopped midair when he witnessed Terez turn his hand into an elongated spear, slice the bottom floor of the BNY Mellon Building, and kick the edge of it back, causing the building to lean down and over the huge masses of who were travelling through one of the escape routes. 

The towering skyscraper's grew closer, its shadow enshrouding several city blocks worth of the city's citizens as the whole structure began to lean dangerous close to the hundreds of people below. So big was it that it would be impossible for most of them to evade it as it began to tumble off, support after support breaking off, its weight groaning as it peeled forward over the people trying to bumrush. 

Just as the building was about to crush the countless humans, Seron swung in-between them and its front and caught it, preventing a deadly crash just in time. 

Several looked on in either awe or fear, or a mix of both. Several continued to run for their lives. 

At over seven-hundred feet and easily over two-hundred thousand tons, the building several times larger and one of the heaviest things he ever held solo; he was forced to use both hands to keep it up in the air. He grunted behind his clenched teeth, beads of sweat coming down his face. He strained under its tremendous weight, his arms aching from under it. He was almost at his limit. It took nearly all his already extraordinary strength to just keep it from falling over...and he still needed to raise it higher to avoid it from coming apart right on him or the ones on the ground.

His wings illuminated a bit, taking in a bit of a more sturdier form as he flapped them up, trying get some leverage as he pushed the building higher up, pressing himself to push it higher and further...further and further... 

A news helicopter flew dozens of feet across away and before going out of view, with many white lights, no doubt from cellphone holders or picture-takers, came from below. But he couldn't focus on that as he forced himself to push the skyscraper further and further. 

Until there was room for him on the ground for him to carefully lower it without worry of crushing anyone below. 

He huffed, falling to his knees in exhaustion and relief. 

He could have sworn he heard cheering. He could have sworn he heard cries of joy and relief. He could have sworn he heard sobbed gratitude. All from below.

But he couldn't tell, he was feeling far too drained to know for sure. 

He sluggishly turned his head, looking at the crowds who'd remain to watch him in awe-filled wonder and managed to give them a tiny, tired smile... 

...and then he was grabbed up and slammed into another building...and another...and then another, tossed about like a ragdoll. 

He didn't have all his bearings in when he felt himself suddenly subjected to powerful g-forces as he was soaring higher and higher into the sky at incredible speeds, the lights of the city below looking more like specks of bioluminescence the higher he got, until he suddenly came to a stop. 

Terez held him right to his face, the blond's mouth pulled back into a malignant grin, his dark pupils narrowed like a snake as they stared into Seron's widened in a horrible realization of what was about to happen. 

The taller soldier's darkly chuckled as he said, "Good job,  _hero."_

And, in a karmic rendition of the other day, he found himself plummeting head down back to the city at lightning speed. He tried to hit Terez's arm away, but he had no strength left in him for it to stop him. 

His heart stopped when he saw the ground rushing at him, and he could manage to gape before he made contact. 

Then darkness. 

 

\----- 

 

  
His vision was tunneling, spiraling almost as the drum of agony encompassed his entire head. 

It was as if something was kneading his brain, claws digging into his skull. 

Rachel was trying to say something to him, but it was so hard to make out or hear, it was as if she was speaking into a glass bottle.

She and everything around were blurs, figures that looked like they were mere blobs of colors. As if the worst case of astigmatism had just inflicted itself upon his eyes. 

There was something pressing at his mind. 

Pushing...pushing... 

**_"..an....-ear me...? C..."_ **

What was going on? 

Was that a voice...? 

**_"...ease te...e...can...-ear me...?"_ **

_Was he going crazy?_

_**"No......-ot."** _

It was most certainly a voice...something, someone's whom he never heard before... 

The blur that was Rachel backed away and he could hear her yelling up to the ceiling, her voice muffled and quiet somewhere beyond the tremendous headache he was suffering. 

**"An...me...-swer me...kid!"**

"Oh God..." he managed to barely choke out, unable to hear his own voice, which came out in a small, muted whisper. 

**_"I kn...urts...b....with me..."_ **

He could make out the hydraulic doors open up behind Rachel and saw a fuzzy blue of black and white, no doubt probably Zel, come through the doors and rush to the table, and while his facial features weren't clear, he could tell he was shocked and worried. 

Zel's voice was louder, easier to make out, if barely. "Jonah? Jonah are you okay? What  _happened!?_  Why are your eyes red!?" 

_"...Red?"_

**_"I'd expla...-t no time...we...-ve...now..."_ **

_"Stop."_

  
"...S-Stop." 

**_"I'm sorry...-an't. Liste-...Earth...go back...-th. Tell them...you nee...back to...Earth."_ **

His voice was coming through a bit more clearly...little by little... 

Rachel and Zel were saying something, but they were both barely audible now, the other voice blocking out all other sound. 

**_"Okay? Tell them to...-o back to Earth. Seron is down...I can sense it. Y-...need to go back. Right now, okay kid? Now."_ **

The pain vanished in a blip, his vision cleared, his hearing returned to normal. 

Meaning he could hear Rachel and Zel calling his name. 

"Jonah," Rachel said in a half-sob, "You were...they're back to normal but your eyes were..."

"Jonah, can you hear me?" Zel was nearly shouting, his eyes wide in subdued panic, with Rachel's panic more overt as she shook in place. 

The green-eyed young man was still gasping. His breath, coming in as rapid panting. 

"Yeah...I..." he swallowed, feeling the hot flashes die down as he regained a tiny bit of his composure and stability. 

If that was who he thought he heard...if everything he said was true... 

"I...I think I..." he started, and remembered what the voice was trying to tell him, and he felt something clench his innards like a vice. 

Something was wrong. Something was terribly wrong. 

He looked to Zel, his green eyes reflective under the light, a nostalgic, steely emotion he hadn't felt in what felt like ages creeping up in his voice. 

"Zel, I need you...to take me back to Commander Regis...I need to get back to Earth." 


	19. Chapter 14 Part 2: Control

The impact had been nothing short of cataclysmic. 

Nearly every standing structure within a radius of three-hundred feet of it had been shredded apart by the sheer seismic force; and a few hundred dozen beyond that to topple in rapid succession, resulting in a catastrophic explosion of brick, gravel, mortar and metal to rise up and rain down like a meteor shower around the enormous, billowing smoke cloud that encapsulated everything in it. Powerful gusts traveled into the ruined streets and into the remaining buildings with windows blown out from the sheer force of the shockwave. The very few who survived the shower of falling debris and rubble were caught up in the conjuring haze, shrouded in the rolling dust storm. 

  
In the epicenter of the newly formed crater, unaware of the catastrophic devastation around him, Seron lay still. Unconscious. 

Covered in soot, a middle-aged woman who had taken cover in a now partially-collapsed liquor store was in a coughing fit, expelling the dust from her lungs as she stumbled out of half destroyed building. In the brown mist, she could barely see anything beyond her own arms, as she felt around for any nearby structures that were still intact, particularly any that she could recognize that she could enter into to provide better protection. 

  
The only warning she got was a glimpse of a shadow when a massive boot crashed down only a few feet away from her, knocking her right down onto the cracked, ruptured ground. She screamed, but the owner of the boot, who kept moving forward without pause, paid it no mind, eyes focusing on the deep crater ahead. 

Terez looked down into it, spotting the other soldier's crumpled form in the depression of what was once an municipal annex building and stared at him with grim satisfaction. 

  
Normally, he'd be far more elated if it weren't for the sheer exhaustion he was feeling. As well as the knowledge that by branching out from his given orders, he would surely face some form of punishment upon return. Especially with the publicity of this incident certainly garnering the attention of not just this world's governments, but the Viran colony and, in turn, the intergalactic council's as well. Well, that was bound to happen sooner to later, as with any excursion on an uncharted planet. And he was no stranger to pain anyway. It wasn't like any retribution his superiors would subject him to could actually kill him. Given their current situation, he was too valuable. And with one of the opposing force's powerhouses taken out of commission, they'd probably reconsider his actions before he'd undergo questioning for going "rogue." 

  
But in the end, Arum was still out of his reach; a denied vengeance that brought upon a festering fury like burning coals. 

Well, as desperate as he was for revenge, even he was pragmatic enough to know that Seron wouldn't tell him where he was if he was given the chance to wake up. Well, at least now he had nothing keeping him from going down there to lobbing his head clean off. 

He took two steps when his communicator started to buzz.

_"Had a nice nap, Mr. POW? See you woke up pretty cranky."_

Terez scowled at the crackle of Vex's voice coming through. About time one of them actually reached him. 

"Shut up. Where are you guys? It's been an entire day. You were supposed to send me those new coordinates." 

_"That was before you wound up being tied down to the ground by a bunch of little Traxian-looking wannabees,"_ Vex's voice was filled with mirth and amusement. _"Besides, it's a bad idea to do it right now. Since you've decided to go nuts in the middle of a city, I'm pretty sure those bean-heads probably have it out for you. Won't be surprised if they tail behind you when you teleport. I'll send you a place for you to meet up with Kril instead._

Terez scoffed, looking down and spotting some of the surviving tiny aliens scurrying, or limping in the case for several of the heavily injured ones, off into the alleys and remaining buildings. "So what if they  _might_ follow? I'll deal with them like I did before. Their pitiful excuse for an army can't even take on a Grade 1 Ervenosian  _bug."_

_"Well aren't you itching for trouble? Oh, and by the way..."_ He could hear Vex's tone gradually darkening, _"...just how many death wishes have you racked up by now?"_ _  
_  
"None when I show up with his dead body," Terez eyed the other soldier warily, expecting him to spring back up at any moment. "And speaking of showing up, why didn't any of you come get me? I woke up to a bunch of rodents crawling all over me."

_"Don't worry your crazy little head off. We were planning to get you once we we've set up. You just happened to wake up before we got the chance to finish. But you know, it is what it is. Also, judging from the fact you're still not moving, I'm guessing you didn't find the Key?"_

__"Negative. But until their damn Number 2 knocked me out, I found Arum. I _know_ he knows where the Key is. And he probably used it to shape-shift into one of these dumb humans to hide out and-hm?" 

The familiar whistle of missiles interrupted him mid-sentence, but just before they hit his face and neck, he pivoted to his left with inhuman speed, allowing them to collide and explode into the already partially destroyed buildings bordering him, conjuring up another wave of wafting dust and debris. 

It had only been a matter of time for their little military to reemerge, probably waiting for him to stay in one spot long enough for them to actually land a hit. He could see their relatively primitive mobile units sprout in from several corners of the city, their aerial forces already coming in through the horizon. Probably hoping to finally take him down now that he was exhausted.  

Too bad they now had his undivided attention. He was already a proverbial one-man army to most alien species that matched their scale; and it wasn't his first time having to fight a species on a smaller one. He would deal with them as quickly as he did others.

As more of their arsenal was fired upon him, the vast majority of them missing as he ducked and twisted around them, he stomped through the haze of smoke, appearing like a massive phantasm that refused to disappear. 

One of the first helicopters that had relayed several rapid fire shots into him had came too close, a fatal mistake. 

"Shoo _fly,"_  was all the pilot and his fellow soldiers inside had the chance to hear before an enormous, smoke-wreathed hand reached out beyond the dusty veil and backhanded the entire left side into the eleventh floor of a commercial building. The blades momentarily chopped anything in its path before hitching onto the metal girders and falling upside down onto a missile truck on the other side of the street.

  
He wasn't finished however. With the same hand, he reared it back and drew it into a fist before punching out the rest of the support of two stories beneath, causing the upper half of the building to wobble a bit before sliding forward onto the mass gathering of the closest ground forces. Only a few soldiers below had the chance to escape, or even survive, either the hail of shattered glass or the entire weight of thirteen stories of the higher levels of what was once several offices come down on them. 

With the immediate ground forces dealt with, he now focused on the incoming jets, planes and helicopters that were closing in on him. 

It had been a rough day. And he wasn't going to let it end without relieving some steam. He tapped in to Vex and said in his native tongue, "There's just a few things I need to take care of first. Have Kril wait about thirty-minutes." He cut him off before he could say anything else.

With his newly gained second wind, his eyes began to glow once more. The particles of his right hand were already reshaping themselves into his default spear. 

Through the entirety of it all, Seron didn't move.

  
\----- 

  
For the first several minutes, Daniel sped down the US 1 mostly uncontested, passing by the exit to Wilmington as he frequently and rapidly changed lanes to gain speed and distance. His hands were gripping the steering wheel so tightly that his palms and fingertips had gone red. His eyes looked past the temporarily shut-off traffic lights and foregone all the road signs. 

  
It had first been a hunch, but only moments after he turned on the radio to the news station, he got the confirmation he needed: 

_"The governor of Pennsylvania has declared the city of Philadelphia to be under a state of emergency. I repeat: the city of Philadelphia has been declared to be under a state of emergency. A mandatory evacuation has been issued, effective immediately. All citizens are to comply with military personnel on evacuation instructions. We ask that you remain calm and follow the directed available paths currently posted. Only military personnel are permitted to enter the city. All unauthorized motorists in Pennsylvania are to clear the interstate and to follow traffic control to the designated areas..."_

He grimaced, gnawing at the edges of his bottom lip.

_So it was somewhere north after all._

He knew what he had seen in those brief seconds that the giant that had flown overhead before vanishing into a white swirl of light, the one from the pictures Hernandez had shown him who no doubt was inextricably connected to the disappearance of his son. And now that he finally had a trail, there was no way he was going to lose it. 

Unfortunately, the closer he got to Philadelphia, the more he noticed the roads began to clog in the other lane with countless vehicles heading towards the Mason-Dixon Line. Evacuees no doubt, fleeing Philadelphia and a telltale sign that he was getting close to the city. Even at the speed he was going, he was able to catch small glimpses of the fraught and terrified faces on some of the drivers and riders in them. Some were even openly weeping at the wheel. He himself wasn't sure what he was going to run into. 

In fact, now that he had a temporary moment of clarity, he didn't know  _what_ he was going to do.  

Exactly... _how_  was he going to get information about his son from a giant that was currently terrorizing downtown Philadelphia? 

He remembered the pictures that Major Hernandez had shown him: having the appearance of someone that should have been attending school along with his son and yet large enough to single-handedly cause widespread panic upon arrival. A frighteningly and suspiciously human-looking being literally over twenty times his size and a thousand times stronger. And apparently the bedside manner of all those giant monsters he'd seen on his black-and-white television when he was a child. 

Truthfully, linchpin or not, there was no way he'd be able to convince the giant tell him where his son was, let alone garner his attention in the first place. 

The first seed of doubt trickled into his heart...right before he forcefully shook it away. 

No. 

He refused to not do anything! 

There had to be something! It was better than nothing! 

It might be his one and only chance, and he wasn't going to let himself get deterred. no matter how impossible the situation was. 

Even if he was lying to himself, he'd figured something out once he got there.

As he muttered to himself, he began to pick up the pace, going even further beyond the speed limit. 

Until he saw a blockade composed of cars, cones and people not too far ahead at the bridge. 

He was forced to immediately slow down, lest he crash into the barricades that were flickering brightly orange lights that lit up an otherwise pitch-dark street. A couple of the men behind the barricades waved him over to turn around, arms gesturing that the road was impassable. 

He gritted his teeth. Of course entry would be barred. What was he expecting? It was the same when he was on his way to Corona. Except this time, he was pretty sure even his relation to his son or his previous encounter with the military back then was going to allow him entry. 

_"Dammit!"_  he hissed, pounding a fist at the steering wheel, the loud honk seemingly startling those beyond the orange lights and emergency flares. He put his head to the wheel for only a second to catch his breath, ignoring the traffic directors completely, before he heard a rumbling sound from the distance. He lifted his head up immediately and looked once more out of the front window. His eyes widened at the realization at what he was seeing beyond the bridge. 

He had gotten much closer to Philadelphia than he had expected, able to see the skyline of the city from a distance. And there was plumes of smoke raising just as high as that, with fires not too far below. 

He opened his door to look out, only to now hear emergency sirens going off. It had been muted while he was listening to the radio for information, but now he could hear just how loud they were from the distance. As well as the screaming, shouting pedestrians that were travelling by foot on the other lane.  

"Oh my God..." he whispered, the true magnitude of the devastation finally dawning on him. 

Far later than it should have.

 

\-----  
  


"Seron, come in. I repeat, come in." 

 

It was the fourth time Derivo tried to hail in the lieutenant general, and once again, the line was entirely silent. Met with no response each time, Commander Regis's face became distinctly more dour, his eyes vigorously searching the screen for the second dot that represented his subordinate's location, which had disappeared completely from the screen. The visual feed was gone, having been replaced by a three-dimensional holomap of the city fritzing in place, collateral damage reports and a running estimated death toll scrolling below it. His eyes scrunched in on the red error reading at the bottom of the screen. 

 

"Manually transport him back to base," came the demand, and Derivo inputted several commands into the series of buttons in front of him, fingers moving dexterously upon the computer relay. A second error message folded into existence on the left hand side of the screen, luridly beeping in and out against the map. 

 

"It's not working. Something must be wrong with his device," Derivo stated gravely, looking up to meet the commander's hardened eyes. "And if I open a gate down there and Terez comes in as he is, then he might take us out as well." 

 

Commander Regis cast a look from him to the screen before pressing a button on the left-hand side of the control panel, "Dispatch Zeta-34 series drones to his last confirmed location. Derivo, have the Rep unit sent out immediately." 

 

A mechanically synthesized voice answered him in monotone,  _"Command confirmed: Zeta-34 series drones dispatched."_

 

In contrast to the robotic voice that came after, the flesh and blood soldier hesitated. Derivo spoke up, his voice belayed a sizable level of uncertainty, "Sir, with all due respect, if we send more drones and soldiers done there, we'll do more harm than good. If Terez calls in for backup... and with the collateral damage and casualties alread-" 

"He won't be going anywhere. So long as their military continues to attack,  _he'll_  continue to as well. Send down the Rep unit." 

  
_"Wait!"_

Both of them turned in time to see the doors part, revealing a rather frantic Zelleron who had his hands cupped together in front of his chest. As he quickly closed the gap, the commander could make out just what was in his hands: the two humans that had boarded his ship just yesterday. 

His attention was particularly on Jonah, who was holding one hand to his head, his face scrunched together in either agony or dismay; it was difficult to tell on a face smaller than a fingertip, especially from a distance. 

As the medic neared them, he said, "Jonah is requesting to be sent back to Earth!" 

"No," came Regis' immediate answer, in English for all parties to understand, and he refocused his attention on the holomap. "Take them back to the bay. The situation is too dire for them to go back at this time." 

_"You don't understand,"_  the human boy shouted this time, catching him completely off guard. His eyes fell on the boy, who for once neither budged or shrunk back from the harsh gaze on him. "I...I heard him! I heard him speak to me! He...he told me to go to Earth and..." 

" _Who_ told you to go back to Earth?" 

Jonah suffered a brief bout of stuttering before yelling out, "Arum! That..that soldier you all have been saying I am! That guy! It has to be him!" 

Now all eyes were on him, giving him shocked and dubious looks. Regis gestured for Zelleron to place the humans on the corner of a nearby table, allowing the humans to disembark from his hands and meet him as close to eye-to-eye without touching them. 

"Wait, what!?" Derivo spouted, hands still at the computer. 

"What do you mean?" Regis asked, voice low. Although it was a question, it sounded more like a demand. 

Jonah gulped; whatever bit of courage that had been in him was now tapering away. "When...when Seron was telling me what happened on the road, I got this headache and...it lasted forever, but this voice,,,this voice was telling me something was wrong and that Seron was down and...I have to go there!" 

"A voice? Like a  _ghost!?"_ Dev's chirped in, incredulous. 

"Ghosts don't exist but something is telling me this isn't a figment of your imagination," Regis's eyes narrowed into slits, "How did... _it_ know that Seron was down? You would have no possible way of knowing th-" 

"That what I'm telling you! It's Arum! It has to be!" Jonah was gesticulating wildly with his arms now, still keeping a hand to his face. "I...I don't know how...or  _why_  he's talking to me or...or if it even is his voice but...I know I'm not crazy and..." 

Had it not been for the series of events that occured within a day's time, he would have chalked it all up to crazy talk. However, Seron had never been incorrect in his assumptions. And with current situation, he had to shove most of his uncertainty aside. 

Still, to make sure...  

  
"Sector 100-56, Quadrant 32 Juniva." 

Jonah's face blanched. "Wait...huh?" 

Regis repeated himself. "Sector 100-56, Quadrant 32 Juniva. What is the significance of that?" 

Jonah had mouthed his words in confusion only to cry out and clench his head in tightly between his hands, as if suddenly stricken with painful migraine. He groaned, grinding his teeth together. The female human, Rachel if he recalled correctly, looked at him with worry and poised to aid him should he lose his balance. 

However, rather than falling, he began to speak, if haltingly.  _"Ngh_...it...he says it...it was...the infiltration... of the Aelphi Templar moonbase." 

For the first time in a very long time, Commander Regis was wide-eyed. He hadn't been expecting him to answer, let alone recall correctly. 

"It...It was the seventeenth mission you sent Arum on...one hundred and two years ago, during the Vilmhalda insurrection." Jonah went on, face still drawn in obvious agony. "There was a coup that was underway and... they had hijacked an orbital cannon. T-The council had him sent to take out those on their second moon...and wanted to get rid of everyone on board without causing alarm so...they had him sneak on board and...imp **ersonate _their stupid second in command so I could kill their leader and blow up their ship, making it look like an accident."_**

 ** __**Regis went uncharacteristically slack-jawed for a moment. The abrupt change in tone and accent had not been lost on anyone.

Or the fact that Jonah's eyes had flashed red for several seconds before returning to their regular green hue. Even Rachel had taken a step back in utter surprise, lips trembling and hands drawn to herself.

"Jonah...?" Zel had asked, as if unsure of who he was speaking to. 

Jonah brought a shaking hand to his mouth, eyes wide and equally as shocked as the ones on him. "That...that wasn't my..." 

But Regis needed no more proof, any doubts he had vanquished in an instant. He clicked a button on the relay next to Derivo. "Nerilia, bring a I-Size Transport Capsule to the command center immediately. Arrange for Kivit to take Jonah to an unpopulated area near Philadelphia." 

He turned to Derivo, "Have the Rep unit on standby until I give confirmation for them to go." 

Dev was already at work the moment those words were set out. After several seconds of a smaller map appearing of the eastern border, a beep sounded as he zoomed in on an untouched forested area. "Coordinates 39.72389°N 76.10111°W has been selected. There are currently no signs of human activity at this location going on at this time. Is this location permissible, sir?" 

"Yes, get the transporter ready," came the issued command, his eyes still on the human who was still in shock. He regarded him before asking, "I don't know how you were able to know that Seron is in trouble Arum, but that is neither here nor there. Can you change back? Or access your abilities?" 

This time, Jonah's voice, truly belonging to that of a scared teen, came out hoarse and startled. "That...that wasn't me. I d-d-didn't say that! It came out from nowhere and it wasn't my v-" 

"I need you to answer me,  _boy._  Philadelphia, one of your cities is under attack.  _Can_  Arum turn back or  _not?_  Right now?" 

Jonah's face was now much more visibly afraid, even Regis could tell that. "I-I... _gh!_ D-Damn...this hurts...it really...he says he can...but not here. That...T-Time? Something about time...and...I don't know. He doesn't know if...just get him down there as soon as possible." 

The doors parted once more, revealing both a pair of traxians, a male dressed head to toe in dark purple armor of Ux'linthr'ilian caliber metal; his helm baring a reflective golden visor, and a female dressed in the standard uniform most soldiers on board were wearing and carrying the I-Capsule in her hands. 

"Kivit, reporting for duty," came a synthesized voice through the helmet of the armor. He looked down and spotted the humans. With the visor's reflection, it was hard to tell his facial expression, but Nerilia's was far more obvious as she stared down at the small humans in complete awe and wonder.    
   
"Kivit, take Jonah through the priority-one teleporter with you. If nothing happens within three minutes, return back immediately and accompany the Rep team for offensive deployment," Regis's eyes went to the female traxian next, who looked completely bewildered as to what was going on so suddenly. "Nerilia, set down the I-capsule for Jonah to get in." 

"Yes sir," she answered dutifully as she did so. But Jonah still looked frightened and confused., unable to process the sudden change in events. 

"Wait, hold on!  _Why!?_  What for!?" he asked, heedful of the strange, metallic tube-like contraption that seemed to be emitting a whitish glow from its thin vertical window. 

"Those whose bodies are unaccustomed to warp technology tend to arrive unconscious upon arrival, like the both of you were. If I send you back outside the capsule, you won't wake up for several hours. It'll also hide your DNA signature while you're in there. Get in." 

It looked like the human had more to say, but whatever words he had planned to come out never did. He a hard shake of the head, he complied, positioning to go into it until he looked at Rachel, who looked utterly stupefied the entire time. "Wait, what about Rachel?" 

Commander Regis gave her a short glance, "She'll remain here. Zelleron will keep watch over her until w-" 

"Wait,  _no!_ You can't stay here! I can't leave Jonah!" She cried out. It was the first time he personally heard the young female speak up. 

Which allowed Jonah to pipe in. "Can't she come with!? If she stays here...she has to come with!" 

A frown crept up onto the commander's face. "You want to put your friend in danger?" 

Jonah shook his head, "No! I...you said that we're going to a place with no human activity, right? And Seron told me that they most likely won't target her. If..if whatever the voice...Arum says isn't working, you can take her back to safety! Back to Virginia! But please!" 

"Fine," there was no point in arguing at the time. Despite the doubtful look both Zelleron and Nerilia were giving him, Rachel's status wasn't crucial enough to warrant dispute. Whatever happens to her, happens. "Both of you, go into the I capsule now." 

This time, both humans scurry into the open slot of the machine without a word and Kivit immediately closes the hatch behind them. 

"Three minutes and no more," Commander Regis reminded the armor-clad officer as he made his way to the teleporter. His subordinate nodded as he rushed into the machine, which now possessed the ethereal glow that was often produced most warp technology and disappeared beyond the white light. 

The moment he was out of sight, Commander Regis turned to Derivo, who had watched everything transpire in amazement. "Pull a visual feed on those coordinates now." 

Without a word, Derivo typed quickly and had one of the observer drones quickly convene to the posted coordinates. 

With a clear view of the forested area, they could see the white portal where they would come out. 

And waited. 

\----- 

 _"That wasn't me..."_

True to the commander's word, Jonah was now completely aware that he was in a constant state of movement, probably moving faster than anything he had ever rode in his life, or any vehicle that existed on earth at all. And yet, it felt as though the transition was impossibly smoother than it should be allowed to. While shielded from the brightness of the whirling tunnel they were traveling in, the light was still blinding and his body felt like it was being pulled back by a sudden force, like one of those carnival rides that would spin around and around so fast, riders would be pinned to the wall. 

Not only that, but his mind had been constantly replaying that exchange he had with that commander over and over. 

He...possibly Arum, had been talking to him...telling him to give him the answers and... 

...and usurped his voice and vocal chords. 

For a moment, when he felt an internal invader seize control of his being, he felt like he was a puppet. Like he had been pulled into the backseat of his own body. It had been short and frightening and yet... 

His emotions had shifted just as quickly with that very voice. Strange patches that barely registered as his own thoughts, memories...that he shouldn't have been able to posses. 

The chrome interior of a ship...a red planet with white land...aliens with four eyes and six appendages...speaking a language he had never heard...cheers...preparations...a collision course set...

Just what the hell had happened!? 

A new level of fear he hadn't experienced before overtook him. An existential. ontological crisis that he couldn't seem to comprehend. 

He didn't have time to question himself for too long as he felt everything come to a sudden stop. 

He was jarred only a bit, with Rachel grabbing him by the arm to steady him before he hit his head into the opening. The  

The latch came over and up, giving the two students full view of what was outside. 

Rather than the silicon interior they had been surrounded by, with several peculiar and gigantic, space-aged fixtures that had dominated their view, the outside had been replaced with a more organic and familiar environment. Overgrown grass and dirt patches, along with tall trees scattered about. The moon that had once been further than ever before was now overhead, shining brightly. Jonah didn't need any hints to know he was now back on earth. But any sort of relief was instantaneously washed away with a sense of urgency. 

  
The two stepped out of the capsule, and froze when they noticed that they were now at ground level with the very soldier who had carried them there. Looking up, the first thought that came to mind was that he looked like an enormous sentry to the forest, guarding a hidden land that no human may enter. Of course, that only lasted but a second when the giant spoke in his native tongue, undoubtedly to the commander before looking down at the teenagers at his feet. 

"Hello Jonah, Rachel. I'm glad to meet you both, but I wish it weren't under these circumstances," came the voice from the helm. The giant kneeled down slowly, careful to leave some distance between the two. "I would talk more but I'm afraid we don't have time. The commander just gave me a rundown on what's...going on." A small, doubful pause. "You're Arum too...um, correct?" 

  
He was so damn tired of that question.

" _No..."_ his voice was trembling, terrified, _"_ I'm Jonah. I'm n-" 

He was forced to clench his mouth shut when another burst of pain swept over him. This time, he was familiar as to what it meant. 

Again, the world was clouded over, and the smaller, faded figure that he recognized as Rachel was back at his side, saying things he wouldn't be able to hear.

That disembodied voice had returned. 

 ** _"Hey kid...I know y-...in pain but I n-d you to f-...s. Can y-....me?"_**

 ** __** _"Why..."_ Jonah thought amidst the migraine, feeling nausea from sudden return.   _"Just how..._   _why are you in my_ head!?"

 __ ** _"I...I think I know...wh-...nt wrong. And...i-...ook years...-nally talk but...-o time."_**

 ** __** _"What...what are you?"_ Jonah begged of him. But the moment he asked the voice that, the pain in his head magnified nearly tenfold, spreading out into the rest of his body. Jonah let out a yelp and moan, collapsing to his knees as he lost the strength to support himself. 

He saw what had to have been Rachel yell something out to him and barely registered the shake in the ground, no doubt the giant that took them back coming closer to check on him. But he was far too focus on the all encompassing, crippling agony that had taken hold of his body, and wasn't letting go. 

But this time, when the voice came back, it was clearer than ever before. 

 _ **"Listen kid,"**  _now the voice could be heard with more clarity than he had heard it ever before, loud in his mind, _**"I have a lot to explain to you. Even I only have half an idea on what's going on. But now's not the time. So first, let me apologize to you for the headache..."**_

 __Then the voice softened, sounding genuine, ** _"...and let me say sorry in advance."_**

 ** __**Jonah barely managed to speak, his voice coming out meek and quiet. "F-For...what?"

 ** _"This."_**

 ** __**He screamed.

It came suddenly and mercilessly, allowing him no time to even breathe. 

It was as if he was having a heart attack, his chest burning as if lit on fire and straining against his ribs. Whatever was going on around him could no longer be discernible from his deteriorating vision. He was certain he was going to die. 

Rachel had grabbed his arm, he knew that much but he didn't get to see much. 

In fact, he wasn't able to see anything at all. 

However, just before he was about to black out from the sheer pain, a second sensation overtook him, like a numbness taking over his skin and muscle. 

And...that he seemed to be  _rising._

\----- 

With a downed jet implanted the burning remains of what was once the Girard Trust Bank, Terez was able to chuck its torn right wing right at the soldiers that were firing upon him in the narrow alleyways, killing two birds with one stone. An odd English saying that seemed to be appropriate now that he thought about it. 

The broken, crumbled streets were littered with destroyed vehicles, bricks, glass, mechanical parts and countless bodies; a scene he had become all too familiar with within a century's time of fighting. Most of their barrages tended to hit the buildings around him, and any heavy bombardment seemed just as effective at taking down the nearby buildings when they missed. 

  
It was obvious the humans had no surefire way of dealing with an intelligent threat outside their own species, let alone one from beyond their own star. A common attribute with aliens that were not affiliated with intergalactic council, or with anything beyond faster-than-light travel. Despite looking suspiciously-traxian in appearance, they were nonetheless very small and fragile creatures, lacking in both strength and power. In fact, their fortitude seemed to be working against them, as they spent everything they had at him with no success. 

He guessed he  _should_ feel something for killing them. After all, they were a weak species that lived a mere fraction of his species' average lifespan after all. And with neither an affiliation with the Viran colony nor the intergalactic council, he couldn't say he actually harbored any hatred towards them. After all, he was the invader in this case. But he had long foregone holding any sentiments such as guilt or remorse at this point. Such a weakness would be relegated to vapid sentimentality, something he no longer had room for since they raised him into the powerhouse from when he was mere, pathetically timid child.   

He would not tolerate any sort of weakness within himself. Not now, and after being re-purposed into  a super-soldier, not  _ever._

 __Landing heavily on the ground, and knocking down all ground troop in his immediate vicinity, he reached down and crumpled a tank before it had the chance to fire at him and shoved it right into the squadron of soldiers who were mowed down by the sudden weight.

A missile shot passed his ear, hitting a building in the distance and he retaliated with flicking the soldier responsible right through a brick wall. 

This was getting old really fast. In numbers, they had been pretty fairly effective at dealing with him. But now, he could make several of them fall back, going into a tactical withdrawal to probably reconvene a strategy. Whatever good that would serve them. 

Then, he felt something. 

Like a disturbance. 

While Terez didn't believe in the supernatural, there had been no other way to describe the sudden change around him. It was strange and alien to him... 

And just as short lived when a few patriot missile launchers let lose in tandem, a few striking his still erected wings. 

Made completely of high-utility nanomachines reinforced upon even more nanomachines, they remained visibly undamaged, The same couldn't be said for the side of a skyscraper that now had patches of fire spouting up into the higher floors. 

Returning to full height, he heard a whirl of machinery that indicated a maglev mechanism, functions that this species hadn't completely utilized to its full extent yet. Turning around, he immediately saw what was responsible for the sounds and smiled. 

There were six large, oblong silver robots with red optics centered in a triangular fashion and possessing neither legs nor arms. Zeta unit drones flying right towards them, their turrets already extending from their artillery compartment. Robots that were usually capable of taking out entire regiments on their own. A better challenge. 

Quickly calculating the closest drone cannon's trajectory, he merely tilted his head and allowed for the particle beam to pass by his neck and cut through several skyscrapers before he flew up and dodged the second beam, which missed him by a hair. With incredible agility, he hopped off the top of the turret and bounded onto the second, kicking and crunching the barrel of its cannon into itself. As its sparking hull began to fizzle before coming apart, the other behind it fired at the moving target. 

Terez winced as a tiny bit of the beam clipped the very edge of his cheek, with another at the back of his calf, but he was very quick to recover as he reshaped his arm into a spear and drove it through one of the optics and into its core, causing it to lose power within seconds. It's fifty-foot body bounced and smashed into a smaller building and rolled across the street into another before coming to a complete stop. 

The head of one the drone's rotated three-hundred and sixty degrees to fire at him, in which he bent backwards far enough for it to miss his chin and clip the edge of the statue on top of the city hall's tower. Dodging three more beams, as well as the continuous surface-to-air missiles still being deployed, he closed in until he was able to get his hand on the turrets forefront turret and yank it upwards. With its path disrupted mid-fire, the beam went off inside the sphere, making the drone implode and the closest one spin out in an arc, colliding into and crushing some of the few gathered tanks that were on one of the main streets. 

A beam clipped his side, catching him off guard briefly before it converged on him. But before its beam could pierce his clavicle, he reached forward and drove his fingers through all three optics and began to pull its metal shell out like a banana peel. The tearing sound was loud and screeching, but he successfully managed to reveal its inner workings just in time to use it as a shield to the last particle beam still in operation. 

With the second-to-last drone out of commission, he was able to hurl it to the only one still in the air, which lifted out of the way to avoid the incoming projectile. 

Terez used those precious milliseconds to get close to it and, with a bit of exertion, managed to pull it down with him as he landed back on the ground. 

His eyes landed on one of the helicopters that had been circling his position. Facing the beam away from him, he picked up the drone by one of its cannons that had been smashed onto the ground upon impact and drew his hand back, ready to toss it right at the helicopter. 

Until something latched onto his wrist. 

Terez's smile dropped instantly, and he turned around to see what was holding his wrist. 

And paled. 

At first, he was expecting to have seen Seron, who would have woken up far earlier than possible. But that had not been the case. 

For a split second, he thought he was seeing an apparition.   
 

The face he was looking at was that of what he had seen yesterday. Same attire, hair and everything. 

But now, those eyes were the familiar, horrid, anger-inducing color that he had seen last on the person he had sought for the past decade. 

And now of true, normal traxian height. 

The face that had just yesterday been filled with fear now looked at him with subdued annoyance and disappointment. 

Still gripping his wrist in one hand, he saw his most hated adversary smirk, although his deep red eyes belied a cold fury. 

In a rough, distorted mix between that human's and his voice, he said,  ** _"Long time, no see. Having fun, kiddo?"_**


End file.
